SB 1.3.37
नामानि रूपाणि मनोवचोभिः सन्तन्वतो नटचर्यामिवाज्ञः ॥ ३७ ॥
avaiti jantuḥ kumanīṣa ūtīḥ
nāmāni rūpāṇi mano-vacobhiḥ
santanvato naṭa-caryām ivājnaḥ
Synonyms
kaścit jantuḥ — an ordinary person; kumanīṣaḥ — of misguided intelligence [kubuddhiḥ170]; na ca avaiti — cannot at all fathom [naiva jānāti171]; nipuṇena — by logical ingenuity [tarkādi-kauśalena]; ūtīḥ — the divine acts [līlāḥ]; asya — of Him [Bhagavān]; dhātuḥ — the ground and root cause of all creation [(sarva-kāraṇa-bhūtasya bhagavataḥ); or the agent behind the world’s creation, Īśvara (jagad-vidhātuḥ īśvarasyaḥ)172]; [who, while situated in His own immutable intrinsic form (apracyuta-svarūpaiva sthitaḥ)]; santanvataḥ — perfectly displays [or widely manifests (samyak vistārayataḥ)173]; rūpāṇi — innumerable forms [nānā-vidhāni rūpāṇi]; manaḥ — [by] His mere intent [manasā, saṅkalpa-mātreṇa]; nāmāni — [and] names; vacobhiḥ174 — by His words [in the form of the Vedas (vedair)]; iva — just as [yathā]; ajnaḥ — a person unacquainted [with drama]; [cannot comprehend (nāvaiti)175]; naṭa-caryām — the theatrics of a skilled stage actor [who exhibits numerous forms while situated in his own form (svarūpe sthita evātmānaṁ nānā-rūpaṁ darśayati); and assumes various names, such as Candra-kamala, that are the subject of songs (gīta-padārthasya candra-kamalāder nāma-pradarśayati)176].
Translation
An ordinary person of misguided intelligence cannot at all fathom by logical ingenuity the divine acts (līlās) of Bhagavān, the ground and root cause of all creation, who [while situated in His own immutable intrinsic form] perfectly displays innumerable forms by His mere intent and names by His words [in the form of the Vedas], just as a person unacquainted with drama cannot comprehend the theatrics of a skilled stage actor.