SB 12.8.45
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Please note: The synonyms, translation and purport of this verse were composed by disciples of Śrīla Prabhupāda
TEXT 45
- sattvaṁ rajas tama itīśa tavātma-bandho
- māyā-mayāḥ sthiti-layodaya-hetavo 'sya
- līlā dhṛtā yad api sattva-mayī praśāntyai
- nānye nṛṇāṁ vyasana-moha-bhiyaś ca yābhyām
SYNONYMS
sattvam — goodness; rajaḥ — passion; tamaḥ — ignorance; iti — the modes of nature thus termed; īśa — O Lord; tava — Your; ātma-bandho — O supreme friend of the soul; māyā-mayāḥ — produced from Your personal energy; sthiti-laya-udaya — of maintenance, destruction and creation; hetavaḥ — the causes; asya — of this universe; līlāḥ — as pastimes; dhṛtāḥ — assumed; yat api — although; sattva-mayī — that which is in the mode of goodness; praśāntyai — for liberation; na — not; anye — the other two; nṛṇām — for persons; vyasana — danger; moha — bewilderment; bhiyaḥ — and fear; ca — also; yābhyām — from which.
Translation and purport composed by disciples of Śrīla Prabhupāda
TRANSLATION
O my Lord, O supreme friend of the conditioned soul, although for the creation, maintenance and annihilation of this world You accept the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance, which constitute Your illusory potency, You specifically employ the mode of goodness to liberate the conditioned souls. The other two modes simply bring them suffering, illusion and fear.
PURPORT
The words līlā dhṛtāḥ indicate that the creative activities of Lord Brahmā, the destructive activities of Lord Śiva and the sustaining functions of Lord Viṣṇu are all pastimes of the Absolute Truth, Lord Kṛṣṇa. But ultimately only Lord Viṣṇu can award liberation from the clutches of material illusion, as indicated by the words sattva-mayī praśāntyai.
Our passionate and ignorant activities cause great suffering, illusion and fear for us and others; therefore they should be given up. One should become firmly situated in the mode of goodness and live peacefully on the spiritual platform. The essence of goodness is to renounce selfish interest in all one's activities and thus dedicate one's entire being to the Supreme Being, Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is the source of our existence.