Text 29] Gajendra’s Prayers of Surrender 113

TEXT 29
AS Iz HAR PSETEAIT ET |
d RIMES AaTeaaaswIEy 112211

nayam veda svam dtmanam
yac-chaktyaham-dhiya hatam

tam duratyaya-mahatmyam
bhagavantam ito ’smy aham

na—not; ayam—people in general; veda—know; svam—own;
dtmanam—identity; yat-saktya—by whose influence; aham—I am in-
dependent; dhiya—by this intelligence; hatam—defeated or covered;
tam—unto Him; duratyaya—difficult to understand; mahatmyam—
whose glories; bhagavantam—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead;
itah—taking shelter; asmi aham—I am.

TRANSLATION

I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, by whose illusory energy the jiva, who is part and
parcel of God, forgets his real identity because of the bodily con-
cept of life. I take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
whose glories are difficult to understand.

PURPORT

As stated in Bhagavad-gita, every living entity—regardless of
whether he be human, demigod, animal, bird, bee or whatever —is part
and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord and the liv-
ing entity are intimately related like father and son. Unfortunately, be-
cause of material contact, the living entity forgets this and wants to enjoy
the material world independently, according to his own plan. This illu-
sion (maya) is very difficult to surmount. Maya covers the living entity
because of his willingness to forget the Supreme Personality of Godhead
and make his own plan to enjoy this material world. As long as this con-
tamination continues, the conditioned soul will be unable to understand
his real identity and will perpetually continue under illusion, life after
life. Ato grha-ksetra-sutdpta-vittair janasya moho ’yam ahamh mameti
