PURPORT by Shrila PrabhupAd
According to
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, the
Gaṇeśa and
Durgā mentioned in this verse are not the same personalities present within the material world; rather, they are eternal associates of the Lord in
Vaikuṇṭha. In this world
Gaṇeśa, the son of Lord
Śiva, is famous for awarding financial success, and the goddess
Durgā, the wife of Lord
Śiva, is famous as the external, illusory potency of the Supreme Lord. The personalities mentioned here, however, are eternally liberated associates of the Lord who reside in the spiritual sky, beyond the material manifestation.
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī quotes from various Vedic literatures to prove that the name
Durgā may also indicate the internal potency of the Lord, who is nondifferent from Him. The external, or covering, potency of the Lord expands from this original
Durgā. The
Durgā of the material world, called
Mahā-
māyā, assumes the function of bewildering the living entities. Thus a devotee should not fear becoming polluted by worshiping the
Durgā mentioned here, who has the same name as illusion, but rather the devotee must show respect to these eternal servitors of the Supreme Lord in
Vaikuṇṭha.
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