Shloka 44
Kapila Describes Bhakti-Saturated Aṣṭāṅga-Yoga and Meditation on the Lord’s Form
तस्मादिमां स्वां प्रकृतिं दैवीं सदसदात्मिकाम् । दुर्विभाव्यां पराभाव्य स्वरूपेणावतिष्ठते ॥ ४४ ॥
tasmād imāṁ svāṁ prakṛtiṁ daivīṁ sad-asad-ātmikām durvibhāvyāṁ parābhāvya svarūpeṇāvatiṣṭhate
Kaya nga, kapag napagtagumpayan ng yogī ang sariling banal na prakṛti—ang māyā—na mahirap maunawaan at nagpapakita bilang sanhi at bunga, bilang mayro’n at wala, siya’y nananatili sa kanyang tunay na anyo.
It is stated in Bhagavad-gītā that the spell of māyā, which covers the knowledge of the living entity, is insurmountable. However, one who surrenders unto Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, can conquer this seemingly insurmountable spell of māyā. Here also it is stated that the daivī prakṛti, or the external energy of the Supreme Lord, is durvibhāvyā, very difficult to understand and very difficult to conquer. One must, however, conquer this insurmountable spell of māyā, and this is possible, by the grace of the Lord, when God reveals Himself to the surrendered soul. It is also stated here, svarūpeṇāvatiṣṭhate. Svarūpa means that one has to know that he is not the Supreme Soul, but rather, part and parcel of the Supreme Soul; that is self-realization. To think falsely that one is the Supreme Soul and that one is all-pervading is not svarūpa. This is not realization of his actual position. The real position is that one is part and parcel. It is recommended here that one remain in that position of actual self-realization. In Bhagavad-gītā this understanding is defined as Brahman realization.
FAQs
This verse states that material nature is the Lord’s own divine potency, difficult to grasp, yet He subdues it and remains established in His eternal original form—showing He is never controlled by maya.
Kapila explains that prakriti includes both the manifest world (sat) and the unmanifest/subtle causal state (asat), indicating that the Lord’s energy operates across visible and subtle levels while He remains transcendental.
See changing circumstances as movements of prakriti, not the self; cultivate bhakti and steady remembrance of the Lord’s transcendence to stay grounded amid material ups and downs.