Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4, Verse 6

अजोऽपि सन्नव्ययात्मा भूतानामीश्वरोऽपि सन् । प्रकृतिं स्वामधिष्ठाय सम्भवाम्यात्ममायया

ajo'pi sannavyayātmā bhūtānāmīśvaro'pi san | prakṛtiṃ svāmadhiṣṭhāya sambhavāmyātmamāyayā

Translation

Though I am unborn, of imperishable nature, and though I am the Lord of all beings, yet ruling over My own nature, I am born by My own Māyā.

— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri

Word meanings

ajaḥ

unborn

api

also (even)

san

being

avyayātmā

undecaying, self, whose, he

bhūtānām

of beings

īśvaraḥ

the Lord

api

also

san

being

prakṛtim

nature

svām

my own

adhiṣṭhāya

resting on

sambhavāmi

(I) become

ātmamāyayā

of the Self, by the māyā

Śaṅkarācārya's commentary

Though I am unborn, though by nature my power of vision (jñāna-śakti) is undecaying, though I am by nature the Lord of all creatures from Brahmā down to grass, yet ruling over My Nature — the Prakṛti, the Māyā of Viṣṇu, which is made up of the three energies of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, to which this whole universe is subject, and by which deluded the whole world knows not Vāsudeva, its own Self — I appear to be born and embodied, through my own Māyā, but not in reality, unlike others.