Shloka
मयाध्यक्षेण प्रकृतिः सूयते सचराचरम् |
हेतुनानेन कौन्तेय जगद्विपरिवर्तते ||९-१०||Transliteration
mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sacarācaram .
hetunānena kaunteya jagadviparivartate ||9-10||Translations
Dr.S.Sankaranarayan
9.10. O son of Kunti ! On account of Me, Who remain (only) as an observer and as prime cause, the nature [of Mine] gives birth to [both] the moving and unmoving; hence this world moves in a circle.
Shri Purohit Swami
9.10 Under my guidance, Nature produces all things movable and immovable. Thus it is, O Arjuna, that this universe revolves.
Sri Abhinav Gupta
9.9-10 Na ca etc. Maya etc. There is for Me no bondage of actions, because I remain unconcerned. That is why, not resorting to any activity, I am the pirme cause in the process of world-creation.
Sri Ramanuja
9.10 Therefore, My Prakrti, looked at by Me, through My will and under My supervision creates the world with its mobile and immobile beings in accordance with the Karma of individual selves. Because of this, namely, My look at Prakrti in conformity with the Karma of individual selves, the world revolves. Behold in this wonderful phenomena the lordly power inherent to Me, the son of Vasudeva, such as My sovereignty, true resolve and being devoid of cruelty and similar blemishes! So declare the Srutis: ‘The possessor of Maya projects this universe out of this. The other (i.e., individual self) is confined by Maya in the world. One should know the Maya to be the Prakrti. And the possessor of Maya to be the Mighty Lord’ (Sve. U., 4.9.10).
Sri Shankaracharya
9.10 Maya, under Me; adhyaksena, as the supervisor, remaining changeless as a mere witness under all circumstances; prakrtih, the Prakrti, My maya consisting of the three gunas and characterized as ignorance; suyate, produces; the world sa-cara-acaram. of the moving and the none-moving things. Thus there is the Vedic text, ‘The one divine Being is hidden in all beings; He is amnipresent, the indwelling Self of all bengs, the Supervisor of actions, the refuge of all beings, the witness, the one who imparts consceiousness, unconditioned [This is according to Sankaracarya’s commentary on this verse. A.G. interprets kevala as non-dual.-Tr.] and without alities’ (Sv. 6.11). Anena hetuna, owing to this reason-because of this presiding over; O son of Kunti, the jagat, world, with the moving and the non-moving things, consisting of the manifest and the unmanifest; viparivartate, revolves, under all conditions [During creation, continuance and dissolution.] All the activities of the world in the form, ‘I eat this; I see; I hear this; I experience this happiness, suffer this sorrow; I shall do this for that purpose, [Ast. omits this portion.-Tr] I shall do this for this purpose; I shall know this,’ etc. indeed arise owing to their being the objects of the conscious witness. They verily exist in consciousness, and end in consciousness. And such mantras as, ‘He who is the witness of this is in the supreme heaven’ [Supreme heaven, the heart; i.e. He is inscrutable.] (Rg., Na. Su. 10.129.7; Tai. Br.2.8.9), reveal this fact. Since it follows from this that there is no other conscious being part from the one Deity-who is the witness of all as the absolute Consciousness, and who in reality has no contact with any kind of enjoyment-, therefore there is no other enjoyer. Hence, in this context, the estion, ‘For what purpose is this creation?’, and its answer are baseless-in accordance with the Vedic text, ‘Who know (It) truly, who can fully speak about this here? From where has this come? From where is this variegated creation?’ (Rg. 3.54.5; 10.129.6). And it has been pointed out by the Lord also: ‘Knowledge remains covered by ignorance. Thery the creatures become deluded’ (5.15).
Swami Adidevananda
9.10 Under My supervision, Prakrti gives birth to all mobile and immobile entities. Because of this, O Arjuna, does the world revolve.
Swami Gambirananda
9.10 Under Me as the supervisor, the Prakrti produces (the world) of the moving and the non-moving things. Owing to this reason, O son of Kunti, the world revolves.
Swami Sivananda
9.10 Under Me as supervisor, Nature produces the moving and the unmoving; because of this, O Arjuna, the world revolves.
Commentaries
Swami Sivananda
9.10 मया by Me? अध्यक्षेण as supervisor? प्रकृतिः Nature? सूयते produces? सचराचरम् the moving and the unmoving? हेतुना by cause? अनेन by this? कौन्तेय O Kaunteya? जगत् the world? विपरिवर्तते revolves.Commentary The Lord presides only as a witness. Nature does everything. By reason of His proximity or presence? Nature sends forth the moving and the unmoving. The prime cause of this creation is Nature. For the movable and the immovable? and for the whole universe? the root cause is Nature itself.Although all actions are done with the help of the light of the sun? yet? the sun cannot become the doer of actions. Even so the Lord cannot become the doer of actions even though Nature does all actions with the help of the light of the Lord.As Brahman illumines Avidya (ignorance)? the material cause of this world? It is regarded as the cause of this world. The magnet is ite indifferent although it makes the iron pieces move on account of its proximity. Even so the Lord remains indifferent although He makes Nature create the world.As the Lord and the Witness? He presides over this world which consists of moving and unmoving objects the manifested and the unmanifested wheel round and round.What is the purpose of creation Why has God created this world when He has really no concern with any enjoyment whatsoever This is a transcendental estion or Atiprasna. It is therefore irrelevant to ask or to answer this estion. You cannot say that God created this world for His own enjoyment because He really does not enjoy anything. He is a mere witness only. (Cf.X.8)