naite svarÅ«paá¹ vidur Ätmanas te
hy ajÄdayo 'nÄtmatayÄ gá¹›hÄ«taḥ
ajo 'nubaddhaḥ sa guṇair ajÄyÄ
guṇÄt paraá¹ veda na te svarÅ«pam
na - do not; ete - these (elements of creation); svarÅ«pam - the true identity; viduḥ - know; Ätmanaḥ - of the Supreme Soul; te - You; hi - indeed; ajÄ-Ädayaḥ - headed by the total material nature; anÄtmatayÄ - by the status of being nonliving matter; gá¹›hÄ«tÄḥ - seized; ajaḥ - Lord BrahmÄ; anubaddhaḥ - bound up; saḥ - he; guṇaiḥ - by the modes; ajÄyÄḥ - of material nature; guṇÄt - to these modes; param - transcendental; veda na - he does not know; te - Your; svarÅ«pam - true form.
The total material nature and these other elements of creation certainly cannot know You as You are, for they are manifested in the realm of dull matter. Since You are beyond the modes of nature, even Lord BrahmÄ, who is bound up in these modes, does not know Your true identity.
God is transcendental to material nature. Unless we also transcend the limited consciousness of material existence, we cannot know Him. Even the greatest living entity in the universe, BrahmÄ, cannot understand the Supreme unless he comes to the platform of pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
