SB 12.7.18

Srimad-Bhagavatam - Twelfth Canto - Chapter 7: The Purāṇic Literatures

SB 12.7.17 - SB 12.7.19

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Please note: The synonyms, translation and purport of this verse were composed by disciples of Śrīla Prabhupāda

TEXT 18

hetur jīvo 'sya sargāder

avidyā-karma-kārakaḥ

yaṁ cānuśāyinaṁ prāhur

avyākṛtam utāpare

SYNONYMS

hetuḥ — the cause; jīvaḥ — the living being; asya — of this universe; sarga-ādeḥ — of the creation, maintenance and destruction; avidyā — out of ignorance; karma-kārakaḥ — the performer of material activities; yam — whom; ca — and; anuśāyinam — the underlying personality; prāhuḥ — they call; avyākṛtam — the unmanifest; uta — indeed; apare — others.

Translation and purport composed by disciples of Śrīla Prabhupāda

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TRANSLATION

Out of ignorance the living being performs material activities and thereby becomes in one sense the cause of the creation, maintenance and destruction of the universe. Some authorities call the living being the personality underlying the material creation, while others say he is the unmanifest self.

PURPORT

The Supreme Lord Himself creates, maintains and annihilates the cosmos. However, such activities are performed in response to the desires of conditioned souls, who are described herein as hetu, or the cause of cosmic activity. The Lord creates this world to facilitate the conditioned soul's attempt to exploit nature and ultimately to facilitate his self-realization.

Since conditioned souls cannot perceive their own constitutional identity, they are described here as avyākṛtam, or unmanifest. In other words, the living entity cannot perceive his real form unless he is completely Kṛṣṇa conscious.

SB 12.7.17 - SB 12.7.19