ṛte 'rthaṁ yat pratīyeta
na pratīyeta cātmani
tad vidyād ātmano māyāṁ
yathābhāso yathā tamaḥ

 ṛte - without; artham - value; yat - that which; pratīyeta - appears to be; na - not; pratīyeta - appears to be; ca - certainly; ātmani - in relation to Me; tat - that; vidyāt - you must know; ātmanaḥ - My; māyām - illusory energy; yathā - just as; ābhāsaḥ - the reflection; yathā - just as; tamaḥ - the darkness.


Text

“ ‘What appears to be truth without Me is certainly My illusory energy, for nothing can exist without Me. It is like a reflection of a real light in the shadows, for in the light there are neither shadows nor reflections.

Purport

This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.9.34). It is the second verse of the catuḥ-ślokī. For an explanation of this verse, see Ādi-līlā, chapter one, text 54.