I am not revealed to everyone, being veiled by My yoga-maya. This deluded world does not know Me, the unborn and imperishable.
Synthesis
Veiled by yoga-maya, Krishna is not revealed to all. The deluded world does not know Him as unborn and imperishable. This verse addresses the mystery of divine hiddenness. Shankara reads maya as the beginningless ignorance that veils Brahman. Ramanuja sees it as God's voluntary self-concealment that preserves the soul's freedom. The bhakti tradition finds hope: if God can conceal, He can also reveal — and does, to the sincere. Madhva explains yoga-maya as God's deliberate concealment, establishing that realization depends ultimately on divine choice. Abhinavagupta interprets yoga-maya as consciousness freely choosing to play the game of forgetting. Vallabhacharya teaches that concealment serves love: the Lord hides so that the soul may have the joy of seeking and the ecstasy of finding. Tilak reminds that spiritual truths require disciplined effort to perceive. Vivekananda calls this the challenge of spiritual awakening: maya veils truth for those who lack the strength to seek it — 'Arise, awake!' is the response.
Commentaries 8 traditions
Shankara explains yoga-maya as the beginningless power of ignorance (avidya) that makes Brahman appear as the limited, individual self. Because of this veil, the world takes the unborn, imperishable Brahman to be born, changing, and limited. Removal of this veil is liberation.
Apply This Verse
Personal Growth
The deepest truths about yourself are veiled — not because they are inaccessible but because seeing them requires readiness. The spiritual path is a gradual unveiling, and patience with the process is itself a form of wisdom.
Questions this verse answers
- ?"What truths about myself are still veiled from my awareness?"
- ?"Why does the deepest wisdom seem hidden rather than obvious?"
- ?"How do I develop the readiness to receive what is concealed?"
- ?"What does patience with the unveiling process look like?"