Verse 2.18.172-174

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 2.18.172-174:

নিখিল-ব্রহ্মাণ্ড-গণের তুমি মাতাকে তোমার স্বরূপ কহিতে পারে কথা? ত্রিজগত-হেতু তুমি গুণ-ত্রয-মযী ব্রহ্মাদি তোমারে নাহি জানে, এই কহি সর্বাশ্রযা তুমি, সর্ব-জীবের বসতি তুমি আদ্যা, অবিকারা পরমা প্রকৃতি ॥ ১৭২-১৭৪ ॥

निखिल-ब्रह्माण्ड-गणेर तुमि माताके तोमार स्वरूप कहिते पारे कथा? त्रिजगत-हेतु तुमि गुण-त्रय-मयी ब्रह्मादि तोमारे नाहि जाने, एइ कहि सर्वाश्रया तुमि, सर्व-जीवेर वसति तुमि आद्या, अविकारा परमा प्रकृति ॥ १७२-१७४ ॥

nikhila-brahmāṇḍa-gaṇera tumi mātāke tomāra svarūpa kahite pāre kathā? trijagata-hetu tumi guṇa-traya-mayī brahmādi tomāre nāhi jāne, ei kahi sarvāśrayā tumi, sarva-jīvera vasati tumi ādyā, avikārā paramā prakṛti || 172-174 ||

nikhila-brahmanda-ganera tumi matake tomara svarupa kahite pare katha? trijagata-hetu tumi guna-traya-mayi brahmadi tomare nahi jane, ei kahi sarvasraya tumi, sarva-jivera vasati tumi adya, avikara parama prakrti (172-174)

English translation:

(172-174) “You are the mother of all universes. Who can describe Your actual form? You are the cause of the three worlds, consisting of the three modes of material nature. We can say that personalities like Brahmā do not know You. You are the shelter of everyone, and You are the abode of all living entities. You are the primeval goddess and the changeless supreme consort.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

The difference between brahmāṇḍa, the material universe, and Vaikuṇṭha, the spiritual world, is that Vaikuṇṭha is a self-manifested object while brahmāṇḍa is a created object. The creation, maintenance, and annihilation of the brahmāṇḍas are under the jurisdiction of the material time factor, and the eternal existence of Vaikuṇṭha is beyond the jurisdiction of time. There is no mother of Vaikuṇṭha, but there is a mother of the brahmāṇḍas. Although by nature she is the spiritual energy of the Lord, she is the creator of the material world, consisting of the three modes of nature. “As the spiritual energy, You alone are the cause of the three worlds. Although You are beyond the three modes of material nature, people become illusioned by considering You from the material point of view as consisting of three modes of material nature. The materialists are never able to describe Your actual nature.”