Seek the Absolute Truth within, not temporary material illusions; study Bhagavata from realized pure devotees.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.1.1–2 — March 22, 1972, Bombay 720322SB-BOMBAY [52:28 Minutes] SB-01.01.01–02_720322SB-BOMBAY Prabhupāda: …dhāmnā svena sadā nirasta-kuhakaṁ satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi [SB 1.1.1] So Śrīla Vyāsadeva, our first predecessor in the disciplic chain of guru-paramparā. There is guru-paramparā. There are four Vaiṣṇava sampradāyas: one is called Brahma-sampradāya, the other is called Rudra-sampradāya, the other is called Śrī-sampradāya, and Nimbārka-sampradāya, or Kumāra-sampradāya. So we belong to the Brahma-sampradāya.
Brahmā's disciple and son also, Nārada; his disciple, Vyāsadeva; and his disciple is Mādhavācārya; and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu belongs to this Mādhavācārya-sampradāya. His spiritual master was Īśvara Purī, and Īśvara Purī's spiritual master was Mādhavendra Purī. This Mādhavendra Purī happened to be in the disciplic succession of Mādhavācārya; therefore we, coming down from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, we are known as Madhva-Gauḍīya-sampradāya. So here, Śrīla Vyāsadeva is offering his respect to the Absolute Truth, satyaṁ paraṁ.
We sometimes find in our government paper, "satyaṁ eva jayate." That is nice, but there are relative truth and there is Absolute Truth. Here Vyāsadeva is offering his obeisances to the Absolute, which include everyone. All relative truths are included within the Absolute Truth, summum bonum. So Śrīdhara Svāmī comments on this point that Śrī Vyāsadeva is offering obeisances to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the origin of all emanation: janmādy asya yataḥ.
That senscient, abhijñaḥ, and svarāṭ, fully independent. So our independence is hampered by māyā. We want to be independent, but actually we are not independent. We are dependent on the dictation of māyā: prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate [Bg. 3.27] We falsely think that we are independent, but we are not independent. We are completely under the clutches of māyā: prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ.
We are acting under the influence of the modes of nature. Some of us are working under the influence of goodness, some of us are working under the influence of passion, and some of us are working under the influence of ignorance. But the paraṁ satyam, the Supreme Lord, He is not under the influence of any modes of material nature. Therefore it is expressed here, dhāmnā svena nirasta-kuhakaṁ: He is completely independent, and there is no influence of māyā.
There is no influence. Nirasta-kuhakaṁ. Here it is illusion. We are living under the influence of material nature, but we are thinking that we are independent. This is kuha, illusion.
This is called māyā. And so long we do not understand this defect of our materialistic way of life, that is called defeat. Whatever we are doing, that is defeat. We are not conquering, but we are being defeated by the exigency of the material energy, which is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā [Bg. 7.14]. So we are all under the influence of māyā, illusion.