ajo 'pi sann avyayātmā bhūtānām īśvaro 'pi san prakṛtiṁ svām adhiṣṭhāya sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā
"Though I am unborn and imperishable, though I am the Lord of all beings, I manifest through My own nature by My own divine power."
What This Means:
Krishna explains: 'I'm not born like you—I'm actually unborn, eternal, the Lord of everything. But I appear to take birth using my own energy (maya). My birth is not forced by karma like yours; it's a voluntary appearance.'
Going Deeper:
This is the theology of avatar: unlike the jiva who is forced to incarnate by karma, Ishvara incarnates by free choice (sva-maya). He's 'aja' (unborn) yet 'sambhavami' (I manifest). His body isn't made of material prakriti but of his own divine nature (sva-prakriti). The incarnation is real but not binding—like an actor who plays a role without becoming the character.
How To Apply This:
The Divine doesn't just watch from afar—it enters the world. God isn't absent from your struggles; the Divine appears whenever and wherever there's genuine need. This makes the world not a prison to escape but a place where the sacred manifests.
Key Sanskrit Terms: