BHAGAVAD-GITA 7:14

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BHAGAVAD-GITA 7:14

 

daivi hy esa guna-mayi

mama maya duratyaya

mam eva ye prapadyante

mayam etam taranti te

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

daivi--transcendental; hi--certainly; esa--this; guna-mayi--consisting

of the three modes of material nature; mama--My; maya--energy;

duratyaya--very difficult to overcome; mam--unto Me; eva--certainly;

ye--those who; prapadyante--surrender; mayam etam--this illusory

energy; taranti--overcome; te--they.

 

TRANSLATION

 

This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material

nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto

Me can easily cross beyond it.

 

PURPORT

 

The Supreme Personality of Godhead has innumerable energies, and all

these energies are divine. Although the living entities are part of

His energies and are therefore divine, due to contact with material

energy their original superior power is covered. Being thus covered by

material energy, one cannot possibly overcome its influence. As

previously stated, both the material and spiritual natures, being

emanations from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, are eternal. The

living entities belong to the eternal superior nature of the Lord, but

due to contamination by the inferior nature, matter, their illusion is

also eternal. The conditioned soul is therefore called nitya-baddha,

or eternally conditioned. No one can trace out the history of his

becoming conditioned at a certain date in material history.

Consequently, his release from the clutches of material nature is very

difficult, even though that material nature is an inferior energy,

because material energy is ultimately conducted by the supreme will,

which the living entity cannot overcome. Inferior, material nature is

defined herein as divine nature due to its divine connection and

movement by the divine will. Being conducted by divine will, material

nature, although inferior, acts so wonderfully in the construction and

destruction of the cosmic manifestation. The Vedas confirm this as

follows: mayam tu prakrtim vidyan mayinam tu mahesvaram. "Although

maya [illusion] is false or temporary, the background of maya is the

supreme magician, the Personality of Godhead, who is Mahesvara, the

supreme controller." (Svetasvatara Upanisad 4.10)

 

Another meaning of guna is rope; it is to be understood that the

conditioned soul is tightly tied by the ropes of illusion. A man bound

by the hands and feet cannot free himself--he must be helped by a

person who is unbound. Because the bound cannot help the bound, the

rescuer must be liberated. Therefore, only Lord Krsna, or His bona

fide representative the spiritual master, can release the conditioned

soul. Without such superior help, one cannot be freed from the bondage

of material nature. Devotional service, or Krsna consciousness, can

help one gain such release. Krsna, being the Lord of illusory energy,

can order this insurmountable energy to release the conditioned soul.

He orders this release out of His causeless mercy on the surrendered

soul and out of His paternal affection for the living entity, who is

originally a beloved son of the Lord. Therefore surrender unto the

lotus feet of the Lord is the only means to get free from the clutches

of the stringent material nature.

 

The words mam eva are also significant. Mam means unto Krsna (Visnu)

only, and not Brahma or Siva. Although Brahma and Siva are greatly

elevated and are almost on the level of Visnu, it is not possible for

such incarnations of rajo-guna (passion) and tamo-guna (ignorance) to

release the conditioned soul from the clutches of maya. In other

words, both Brahma and Siva are also under the influence of maya. Only

Visnu is the master of maya; therefore He alone can give release to

the conditioned soul. The Vedas

(Svetasvatara Upanisad 3.8) confirm this in the phrase tam eva viditva. or

"Freedom is possible only by understanding Krsna." Even Lord Siva affirms

that liberation can be achieved only by the mercy of Visnu. Lord Siva

says, mukti-pradata sarvesam visnur eva na samsayah: "There is no

doubt that Visnu is the deliverer of liberation for everyone."

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.