अविद्यारचितस्वप्नगन्धर्वनगरोपमम् ॥१५॥
manyamÄna idaá¹ viÅ›vaá¹
mÄyÄ-racitam Ätmani
avidyÄ-racita-svapna-
gandharva-nagaropamam
manyamÄnaḥ - realizing; idam - this; viÅ›vam - universe; mÄyÄ - by the external energy; racitam - manufactured; Ätmani - unto the living entity; avidyÄ - by illusion; racita - manufactured; svapna - a dream; gandharva-nagara - phantasmagoria; upamam - like.
ÅšrÄ«la Dhruva MahÄrÄja realized that this cosmic manifestation bewilders living entities like a dream or phantasmagoria because it is a creation of the illusory, external energy of the Supreme Lord.
In the deep forest it sometimes appears that there are big palaces and nice cities. That is technically called gandharva-nagara. Similarly, in dreams also we create many false things out of imagination. A self-realized person, or a devotee, knows well that this material cosmic manifestation is a temporary, illusory representation appearing to be truth. It is like a phantasmagoria. But behind this shadow creation there is reality — the spiritual world. A devotee is interested in the spiritual world, not its shadow. Since he has realization of the supreme truth, a devotee is not interested in this temporary shadow of truth. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ (paraá¹ dṛṣá¹vÄ nivartate).
