TEXT 32
grhyamanais tvam agrahyo
vikaraih prakrtair gunaih
ko nv iharhati vijnatum
prak siddham guna-samvrtah
SYNONYMS
grhyamanaihaccepting the body made of material nature as existing at the present moment because of being visible; tvamYou; agrahyahnot confined in a body made of material nature; vikaraihagitated by the mind; prakrtaih gunaihby the material modes of nature (sattva-guna, rajo-guna and tamo-guna); kahwho is there; nuafter that; ihain this material world; arhatiwho deserves; vijnatumto know; prak siddhamthat which existed before the creation; guna-samvrtahbecause of being covered by the material qualities.
TRANSLATION
O Lord, You exist before the creation. Therefore, who, trapped by a body of material qualities in this material world, can understand You?
PURPORT
As it is said:
atah sri-krsna-namadi
na bhaved grahyam indriyaih
sevonmukhe hi jihvadau
svayam eva sphuraty adah
[BRS.
atah sri-krsna-namadi
na bhaved grahyam indriyaih
sevonmukhe hi jihvadau
svayam eva sphuraty adah
No one can understand the transcendental nature of the name, form, quality and pastimes of Sri Krsna through his materially contaminated senses. Only when one becomes spiritually saturated by transcendental service to the Lord are the transcendental name, form, quality and pastimes of the Lord revealed to him. (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.2.234)1.2.234]
Krsnas name, attributes and form are Absolute Truth, existing before the creation. Therefore, how can those who are createdthat is, those entrapped in bodies created of material elementsunderstand Krsna perfectly? This is not possible. But, sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah: Krsna reveals Himself to those engaged in devotional service. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (18.15) by the Lord Himself: bhaktya mam abhijanati [Bg. 18.55]. Even the descriptions of Krsna in Srimad-Bhagavatam are sometimes misunderstood by less intelligent men with a poor fund of knowledge. Therefore, the best course by which to know Him is to engage oneself in pure devotional activities. The more one advances in devotional activities, the more one can understand Him as He is. If from the material platform one could understand Krsna, then, since Krsna is everything (sarvam khalv idam brahma), one could understand Krsna by seeing anything within this material world. But that is not possible.
(Bg. 9.4)
Everything is resting on Krsna, and everything is Krsna, but this is not to be realized by persons on the material platform.

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