नाहं प्रकाशः सर्वस्य योगमायासमावृतः। मूढोऽयं नाभिजानाति लोको मामजमव्ययम्।।7.25।।
nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga‑māyā samāvṛtaḥ | mūḍho ’yam nābhijānāti lokaḥ mām ajam avyayam ||
Translation
I am not manifest to everyone, being veiled by My divine Yoga‑Maya. Hence the foolish world does not know Me as unborn and inexhaustible.
Word Meanings
nā — not; ahaṁ — I; prakāśaḥ — manifest light; sarvasya — of all; yoga‑māyā — divine illusion; samāvṛtaḥ — covered; mūḍhaḥ — foolish; ayaṁ — this; nā — not; abhijānāti — knows; lokaḥ — world; mām — Me; ajam — unborn; avyayam — inexhaustible
Understanding the Verse
In this verse Krishna reveals a profound aspect of His divine nature: the concealment of His true, all‑pervading brilliance by the power of Maya. The term prakāśaḥ denotes the radiant, self‑revealing aspect of the Supreme, the source of all illumination. Yet Krishna says nāhaṁ – ‘I am not’ – indicating that this luminous presence is not perceived by everyone. The reason is yoga‑māyā samāvṛtaḥ, the divine energy of illusion that enshrouds the Absolute. This is not a negative or accidental veil; it is a purposeful, purposeful aspect of the cosmic play (lila) through which the material world is manifested. By veiling His brilliance, the Divine allows individual beings to experience a sense of separateness, fostering the conditions for free will, moral testing, and spiritual evolution.
The next line emphasizes the condition of the audience: mūḍho ’yam – ‘this is the foolish one’. Here ‘foolish’ does not merely refer to lack of intelligence, but to the state of ignorance (avidyā) in which the soul remains attached to transient identities and material desires. Because of this ignorance, the world (lokaḥ) fails to recognise the Supreme as ajam – unborn, never having a beginning – and avyayam – inexhaustible or immutable. In other words, the limited perception of the mind binds individuals to the illusion of change, birth, and death, obscuring the eternal, unchanging reality of the Divine.
From a philosophical perspective, this verse underscores the dual aspects of God in Vedantic thought: the immanent, all‑illuminating reality (prakāśa) and the transcendent, concealed reality (māyā). The concealment is not a flaw but a necessary condition for the soul’s journey. It creates the space for the seeker to exercise discernment (viveka) and ultimately to penetrate the veil through knowledge (jñāna) and devotion (bhakti). The verse thus invites the practitioner to recognize the limits of ordinary perception and to turn inward, seeking the direct experience of the Divine that lies beyond maya.
Practically, the verse calls for humility and persistent spiritual practice. Recognising that the world’s ignorance is a product of maya encourages the seeker to cultivate inner clarity, to study the scriptures, and to engage in contemplative disciplines that lift the veil. When the seeker discovers that the Divine is indeed unborn and inexhaustible, the illusion of separation dissolves, leading to the realization of oneness (advaita) and liberation (mokṣa). This transformative insight is the ultimate goal of the Bhagavad‑Gītā’s teaching in Chapter 7, where Krishna systematically unveils His supreme, hidden nature.
