Text 12] Conversation Between Maitreya and Vidura 765

maitreya uvaca
daivena durvitarkyena
parendanimisena ca
jata-ksobhad bhagavato
mahan asid guna-trayal

maitreyah uvaca-—Maitreya said; daivena—by superior management
known as destiny; durvitarkyena—beyond empiric speculation; parena—
by Maha-Visnu; animisena—by the potency of eternal time; ca—and; jata-
ksobhat—the equilibrium was agitated; bhagavatah—of the Personality of
Godhead; mahan—the total material elements (the mahat-laltva); dsit—
were produced; guna-trayal—trom the three modes of nature.

TRANSLATION

Maitreya said: When the equilibrium of the combination of the three
modes of nature was agitated by the unseen activity of the living entity,
by Maha-Visnu, and by the force of time, the total material elements were

produced.
PURPORT

The cause of the material creation is described here very lucidly. The
first cause is daiva, or the destiny of the conditioned soul. The material
creation exists for the conditioned soul who wanted to become a false lord
for sense enjoyment. One cannot trace out the history of when the condi-
tioned soul first desired to lord it over material nature, but in Vedic
literature we always find that the material creation is meant for the sense
enjoyment of the conditioned soul. There is a nice verse which says that the
sum and substance of the conditioned soul’s sense enjoyment is that as
soon as he forgets his primary duty, to render service to the Lord, he
creates an atmosphere of sense enjoyment which is called maya; that is the
cause of material creation.

Another word used here is durvitarkyena. No one can argue about when
and how the conditioned soul became desirous of sense enjoyment, but the
cause is there. Material nature is an atmosphere meant only for the sense
enjoyment of the conditioned soul, and it is created by the Personality of
Godhead. It is mentioned here that in the beginning of creation the material
nature, or prakrti, is agitated by the Personality of Godhead, Visnu. There
are three Vignus mentioned. One is Maha-Visnu, another is Garbhodakagayi
Visnu, and the third is Ksirodakasayi Visnu. The First Canto of Srimad-
Bhagavatam discusses all these three Visnus, and here also it is confirmed
