na pratīyeta cātmani
tad vidyād ātmano māyāṁ
yathābhāso yathā tamaḥ
ṛte-without; artham-value; yat-that which; pratīyeta-appears to be; na-not; pratīyeta-appears to be; ca-certainly; ātmani-in relation to Me; tat-that; vidyāt-you must know; ātmanaḥ-My; māyām-illusory energy; yathā-just as; ābhāsaḥ-the reflection; yathā-just as; tamaḥ-the darkness.
"What appears to be truth without Me is certainly My illusory energy, for nothing can exist without Me. It is like a reflection of a real light in the shadows, for in the light there are neither shadows nor reflections.
The spiritual world is brightly illuminated, but the material world is wrapped in darkness. In the material world, sunshine, moonshine or different kinds of artificial light are required to dispel darkness, especially at night, for by nature the material world is dark. Therefore the Supreme Lord has arranged for sunshine and moonshine. But in His abode, as described in the Bhagavad-gītā (15.6), there is no necessity for lighting by sunshine, moonshine or electricity because everything is self-effulgent.