janma karma ca viśvātmann ajasyākartur ātmanaḥ tiryaṅ nṝṣiṣu yādaḥsu tad atyanta-viḍambanam
Synonyms
janma—birth; karma—activity; ca—and; viśva-ātman—oh the soul of the universe; ajasya—of the unborn; akartuḥ—of the inactive; ātmanaḥ—of the vital energy; tiryak—animal; nṛ—human-being; ṛṣiṣu—in the sages; yādaḥsu—in the water; tat—that; atyanta—veritable; viḍambanam—bewildering.
Translation
It is bewildering off course you, Oh the Soul of the Universe, have to work although inactive, have to take birth although unborn and are the vital force. Still you descend yourself amongst the animals, men, sages, aquatics. They are verily bewildering.
Purport
Transcendental pastimes of the Lord are not only bewildering but also apparently conradictory also. Or in other words they are—all inconceivable by the limited thinking power of the human being. The Lord is all prevailing super soul of all existence and yet appears in the Form of Hog amongst the animals, in the Form of Human being as Rama, Krishna etc. in the Form of a Rishi like Narayana, in the Form of an aquatic like Fish in the water and it is said about Him that He is unborn and He has nothing to do. In the Sruti Mantra it is said that the Supreme Brahmin has nothing to do no body is equal or greater than Him. He has manyfold energies and everything is performed by Him perfectly by automatic knowledge, strength and activity. All these prove without any question that the Lord's activities, His Forms and deeds all are inconceivable by our limited thinking power but because He is inconceivably powerful everything is possible in Him. Therefore, no body can calculate about Him exactly and every action of the Lord is bewildering for the common man. He can neither be understood by the Vedic knowledge but at the same time he can be easily understood from the pure devotees because they are intimately related with Him. The devotees therefore know it certainly that although He appears amongst the animal He is not animal, neither He is man nor He is a Rishi or aquatic Fish. He is eternally the Supreme Lord at all circumstances.