SB 10.14.23 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

SB 10.14.23

Devanagari

एकस्त्वमात्मा पुरुष: पुराण: सत्य: स्वयंज्योतिरनन्त आद्य: । नित्योऽक्षरोऽजस्रसुखो निरञ्जन: पूर्णाद्वयो मुक्त उपाधितोऽमृत: ॥ २३ ॥

Verse text

ekas tvam ātmā puruṣaḥ purāṇaḥ satyaḥ svayaṁ-jyotir ananta ādyaḥ nityo ’kṣaro ’jasra-sukho niraṣjanaḥ pūrṇādvayo mukta upādhito ’mṛtaḥ

Synonyms

ekaḥ — one ; tvam — You ; ātmā — the Supreme Soul ; puruṣaḥ — the Supreme Person ; purāṇaḥ — the oldest ; satyaḥ — the Absolute Truth ; svayam — jyotiḥ — self-manifested ; anantaḥ — without end ; ādyaḥ — without beginning ; nityaḥ — eternal ; akṣaraḥ — indestructible ; ajasra — sukhaḥ — whose happiness cannot be obstructed ; niraṣjanaḥ — devoid of contamination ; pūrṇa — complete ; advayaḥ — without a second ; muktaḥ — free ; upādhitaḥ — from all material designations ; amṛtaḥ — deathless .

Translation

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

You are the one Supreme Soul, the primeval Supreme Personality, the Absolute Truth—self-manifested, endless and beginningless. You are eternal and infallible, perfect and complete, without any rival and free from all material designations. Your happiness can never be obstructed, nor have You any connection with material contamination. Indeed, You are the indestructible nectar of immortality. KB 10.14.23 “My conclusion is, therefore, that You are the Supreme Soul, the Absolute Truth, and the supreme original person; and although by Your inconceivable transcendental potencies You have expanded Yourself in so many Viṣṇu forms, and also in the living entities and other energies, You are the supreme one without a second, the supreme Supersoul. The innumerable living entities are simply like sparks of the original fire, Your Lordship. The conception of the Supersoul as impersonal is wrong, because I see that You are the original person. Persons with a poor fund of knowledge may think that because You are the son of Mahārāja Nanda You are not the original person, that You are born just like a human being. They are mistaken. You are the actual original person; that is my conclusion. In spite of Your being the son of Nanda, You are the original person, and there is no doubt about it. You are the Absolute Truth, and You are not of this material darkness. You are the source of the original brahma-jyoti as well as the material luminaries—the sun, moon and stars. Your transcendental effulgence is identical with the brahma-jyoti. As it is described in the Brahma-saṁhitā, the brahma-jyoti is nothing but Your personal bodily effulgence. There are many Viṣṇu incarnations and incarnations of Your different qualities, but all those incarnations are not on the same level. You are the original lamp. Other incarnations may possess the same candlepower as the original lamp, but the original lamp is the beginning of all light. And because You are not one of the creations of this material world, even after the annihilation of this world, Your existence as You are will continue. “Because You are the original person, You are described in the Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad, as well as in the Brahma-saṁhitā, as govindam ādi-puruṣam. Govinda is the original person, the cause of all causes. In the Bhagavad-gītā also it is stated that You are the source of the Brahman effulgence. No one should conclude that Your body is like an ordinary material body. Your body is akṣara, indestructible. The material body is always full of threefold miseries, but Your body is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha: [Bs. 5.1] full of bliss, knowledge and eternality. You are also niraṣjana because Your pastimes, as the little son of Mother Yaśodā or the lover of the gopīs, are never contaminated by the material qualities. And although You exhibited Yourself as so many cowherd boys and calves, Your transcendental potency was not reduced. You are always complete. As it is described in the Vedic literature, even if the complete is taken away from the complete—the Supreme Absolute Truth—it remains the complete Supreme Absolute Truth. And although many expansions from the complete are visible, the complete is one without a second. Since all Your pastimes are spiritual, there is no possibility of their being contaminated by the material modes of nature. When You place Yourself as subordinate to Your father and mother, Nanda and Yaśodā, You are not reduced in Your potency; this is an expression of Your loving attitude toward Your devotees. There is no second identity to compete with You. A person with a poor fund of knowledge concludes that Your appearance and pastimes are simply material designations. You are transcendental to both nescience and knowledge, as it is confirmed in the Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad. You are the original amṛta (indestructible nectar of immortality). As confirmed in the Vedas, amṛtaṁ śāśvataṁ brahma. Brahman is the eternal, the supreme origin of everything, who has no birth or death.

Purport

Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī explains how the various terms of this verse demonstrate that the transcendental body of Lord Kṛṣṇa is free from the characteristics of material bodies. All material bodies go through six phases: birth, growth, maturity, reproduction, decline and destruction. But Lord Kṛṣṇa does not take material birth, since He is the original reality, a fact clearly indicated here by the word adya, “original.” We take our material birth within a particular material atmosphere, in material bodies that are amalgamations of various material elements. Since Lord Kṛṣṇa existed long before the creation of any material atmosphere or element, there is no question of material birth for His transcendental body. Similarly, the word pūrṇa, meaning “full and complete,” refutes the concept that Lord Kṛṣṇa could grow, since He is ever-existing in fullness. When one’s material body becomes mature, one can no longer enjoy as in youth; but the words ajasra-sukha, “enjoying unobstructed happiness,” indicate that Lord Kṛṣṇa’s body never reaches so-called middle age, since it is always full of spiritual youthful bliss. The word akṣara, “undiminishing,” refutes the possibility that Lord Kṛṣṇa’s body grows old or declines, and the word amṛta, “immortal” negates the possibility of death. In other words, Lord Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental body is free from the transformations of material bodies. The Lord does, however, create innumerable worlds and expand Himself as innumerable living entities. But the Lord’s so-called reproduction is completely spiritual and does not take place at a certain phase of bodily existence; rather, it constitutes the Lord’s eternal proclivity to expand His spiritual bliss and glories. As the Lord states in śruti, pūrvam evāham ihāsam: “I alone existed in the beginning.” Therefore here the Lord is called puruṣaḥ purāṇaḥ, “the primeval enjoyer.” This original puruṣa expands Himself as the Supersoul and enters every living being. Still, He is ultimately the Absolute Truth, Kṛṣṇa, as stated in the Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad: yaḥ sākṣāt para-brahmeti govindaṁ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaṁ vṛndāvana-sura-bhūruha-talāsīnam. “The Absolute Truth Himself is Govinda, who has an eternal form of bliss and knowledge and who is sitting beneath the shady desire trees of Vṛndāvana.” This Absolute Truth is beyond material ignorance and beyond even ordinary spiritual knowledge, as stated in the same Gopāla-tāpanī śruti: vidyāvidyābhyāṁ bhinnaḥ. Thus, in many ways the supremacy of Lord Kṛṣṇa has been established in the Vedic literature, and it is here confirmed by Lord Brahmā himself.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Although you do have infinite forms, you are also present as one form by your inconceivable energy. You are eka atma, paramatma. The jives are many, but they can never be called one. Is paramatma formless? No, you are purusa, endowed with a specific form. "Are I not young, unlike other men who are old? As the son of Nanda I appear young, just suitably aged for your praises." "But this is not the actual fact. Though you are the son of Nanda, you are truly (satya) the person existing during all phases of time." "Am I not produced by this purusa also, like time and karma?" "No, you are svayam jyotih, self manifesting." " Am I then limited like the sun?" "No, you are ananta, unlimited by time and space. Other avataras are also the same." " I am also just one of them?" " No, you are the source of all these avataras, you are adyah, the source." "Will I not disappear at the tend of Brahma’s life also?" "No, you are nitya, eternal. Though the universe is ancient, at the end of my life it will disappear, and therefore it is anitya. But you, in the form of Nanda’s son, exists eternally. This form is the full manifestation of Brahman, for it is said: Yo sau saurye tisthati Yah saksat parabrahmeti govindam saccinanda vigrahm vrndavana surabhuruhatalasinam (Gopala tapani upanisad). Brahmno hi pratistaham (Gita), Those who have bodies are subject to the six transformations, and are therefore disintegrating at every moment." " So am I also destructible?" " No, you are not like that, you are indestructible, aksara." "Those who have bodies also are subject to happiness and distress. As a baby I had greed for the yogurt, butter and milk, of the gopis, and a boy I showed anger towards kaliya, and as youth I showed lust towards the gopis. I am tainted with material faults like others." "No, you are spotless (niranjana) , for your lust and other qualities are spiritual. If that is so, then I am still imperfect, because I am dependent on the gopis. No, being controlled by prema bhakti is no fault to your perfection." " Is there someone else like me?" "No, you are advaya, without compare." "If you say because I am advaya, I am purna brahma, then I am known through material designation or upadhi." " No, you are free from all upadhi. Gopala tapani says: vidyavidyabhyam bhinna: you are free from the touch of vidya and avidya. You are amrta. The sruti says: Amrtam sasvatam brahma. Amrta here means without upadhi. Or amrta can also mean one who is beyond death."

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

He summarizes an intermediate topic. Since you are the cause of Nārāyaṇa (SB 10.14.14) and are one alone (SB 10.14.18), standing with yogurt rice in your hand, you are the basis of all material and spiritual manifestations (ekaḥ tvaṁ ātmā). Tam ekaṁ govindaṁ sac cidānanda-vigraham: the form of Govinda is eternity, knowledge and bliss. Concerning the word ātmā, śruti says sākṣāt prakṛti-paro yo yam ātmā gopālaḥ kathaṁ tv avatīrṇo bhūmyām ha vai: how has the supreme form of Govinda, beyond prakṛti, appeared on earth? (Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad) kṛṣṇam enam avehi tvam ātmānam akhilātmanām You should know Kṛṣṇa to be the original Soul of all living entities. SB 10.14.55 sarveṣām api bhūtānāṁ nṛpa svātmaiva vallabhaḥ itare ’patya-vittādyās tad-vallabhatayaiva hi O King, for every created being the dearmost thing is certainly his own self. The dearness of everything else—children, wealth and so on—is due only to the dearness of the self. SB 10.14.50 Concerning the word puruṣa, the śruti says ātmatvam eva sādhayati puruṣaḥ: Govinda is known as the puruṣaḥ. Puruṣo yo ‘sāv uttamaḥ puruṣo gopālaḥ: the ultimate puruṣaḥ is Gopāla. (Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad) Concerning the word purāṇaḥ it is said: gūḍhaḥ purāṇa-puruṣo vana-citra-mālyaḥ:the ancient puruṣa wanders about decorated with flower garlands (SB 10.44.13) Concerning the word satyaḥ it is said: satya-vrataṁ satya-paraṁ tri-satyaṁ satyasya yoniṁ nihitaṁ ca satye satyasya satyam ṛta-satya-netraṁ satyātmakaṁ tvāṁ śaraṇaṁ prapannāḥ O Lord, you are true to your promise, truth incarnate, pervading all aspects of time with truth, before the creation, during its existence and after its destruction. You are the revealer of sweet words and truth. We surrender to you, the embodiment of truth. SB 10.2.26 Concerning svayam jyotiḥ it is said: yo brahmāṇaṁ vidadhāti pūrvaṁ yo vidvāṁs tasmai gopayati sma kṛṣṇaḥ taṁ ha devam ātmabuddhiprakāśaṁ mumukṣur vai śaraṇam amum vrajet People desiring liberation surrender to Kṛṣṇa who bestows his mantra to the learned and protects them, who is the Supreme Lord, revealing himself through his intelligence. Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad Th e word ānantaḥ is illustrated as follows: na cāntar na bahir yasya na pūrvaṁ nāpi cāparam pūrvāparaṁ bahiś cāntar jagato yo jagac ca yaḥ taṁ matvātmajam avyaktaṁ martya-liṅgam adhokṣajam gopikolūkhale dāmnā babandha prākṛtaṁ yathā Thinking of the invisible Lord--who has no inside or outside, has nothing previous or after him, who existed in the past and will exist in the future, inside and outside of the universe, who is the universe-- as her son, appearing with a human form though he was beyond material senses, she tied him to the mortar like a normal child with rope. SB 10.9.13-14 yo ’yaṁ kālas tasya te ’vyakta-bandho ceṣṭām āhuś ceṣṭate yena viśvam nimeṣādir vatsarānto mahīyāṁs taṁ tveśānaṁ kṣema-dhāma prapadye O inaugurator of the material energy! Time which starts with second and ends with years, which rotate to make the life time of Brahmā, and by which the universe moves, is said to be your movement. I surrender to the Supreme Lord, the abode of fearlessness and happiness. SB 10.3.26 Concerning ādyaḥ it is said: īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam || Kṛṣṇa is the supreme controller. He is the enjoyer of innumerable consorts, and the possessor of an eternal form of knowledge and bliss. Though, he is without origin, he is the source of all other forms of God, and is the cause of all causes. He is Govinda, the boy who cares for the cows. Brahma-saṁhitā 1 vidito ’si bhavān sākṣāt puruṣaḥ prakṛteḥ paraḥ kevalānubhavānanda- svarūpaḥ sarva-buddhi-dṛk I know you directly as the Supreme Person beyond material existence, as the impersonal Brahman, as Paramātmā and Bhagavān.SB 10.3.13 Concerning nityaḥ it is said: nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān tam pīṭhagaṁ ye nu yajanti viprās teṣāṁ siddhiḥ śāśvatī netareṣām He is the chief eternal and the chief consciousness who though one, fulfills the desires of all beings. Those brāhmaṇas who worship him, situated in Vraja, attain perfection and not others. Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad etad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ yo nityodyuktāḥ saṁyajante na kāmān teṣām asau gopa-rūpaḥ prayatnāt prakāśayed ātmā-padaṁ tadaiva Kṛṣṇa reveals his abode to those who constantly meditate upon that abode and do not worship material objects. Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad Concerning akṣaraḥ it is said: yasmāt kṣaram atīto ’ham akṣarād api cottamaḥ | ato ’smi loke vede ca prathitaḥ puruṣottamaḥ || Because I am superior to the jīvas, to the Brahman, and to the puruṣa known as Paramātmā, and even to the other forms of Bhagavān, I am celebrated in the Vedas and the smṛtis as the Supreme Person. BG 15.18 Concerning ajasra-sukha it is said krṣṇātmako nityānandaika-rūpaḥ: Kṛṣṇa is a form of eternity and bliss. (Gopāla-tāpaṇī Upaniṣad) Vasudeva says: vidito ’si bhavān sākṣāt puruṣaḥ prakṛteḥ paraḥ kevalānubhavānanda- svarūpaḥ sarva-buddhi-dṛk I know you directly as the Supreme Person beyond material existence, as the impersonal Brahman, as Paramātmā and Bhagavān (form of bliss). SB 10.3.13 Concerning nirañjana (purity) Nārada says: viśuddha-vijñāna-ghanaṁ sva-saṁsthayā samāpta-sarvārtham amogha-vāñchitam Let us approach you, the Supreme Lord, for shelter. You are full of perfectly pure spiritual awareness and are always situated in your original identity. SB 10.37.22 Concerning pūrṇaḥ in śruti it is said te hocur upāsanam etasya govindasyākhilādhāriṇo bruhi: please explain to us the worship of Govinda, the support of all things. (Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad) Brahmā says ‘”Who knows where, how, how many, and when your pastimes will take place in the universe?” (SB 10.14.21) Concerning advayaḥ the śruti says advitīyāya mahate śrī-kṛṣṇāya namo namaḥ: I offer respects repeatedly to Kṛṣṇa, the greatest, without compare. (Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad) Concerning muktaḥ the śruti says sākṣāt prakṛti-paraḥ: he is beyond prakṛti, free from all coverings. Concerning amṛtaḥ the śruti says govindān mṛtyur vibheti: death is afraid of Govinda (Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad) martyo mṛtyu-vyāla-bhītaḥ palāyan lokān sarvān nirbhayaṁ nādhyagacchat tvat pādābjaṁ prāpya yadṛcchayādya susthaḥ śete mṛtyur asmād apaiti No one in this material world, fearful of the snake of time, has become free from fear, even by fleeing to various planets. But now that you have appeared, death is fleeing in fear of you, and the living entities, having obtained shelter at your lotus feet by your mercy, are fearless and tranquil. SB 10.3.27 Concerning his difference from birth and death, śruti says sthāṇur ayam acchedyo ‘yam yo ‘sau sauryo tiṣṭhati yo ‘sau goṣu tiṣṭhati, yo ṣau gopān palayati, yo ṣau gopeṣu tiṣthati: he is steady, he is indivisible, he is brave, lives among the cows, and protects the cowherds and lives among them. (Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad) In his commentary, Śrīdhara Svāmī indicates that the words svayam jyotiḥ nirañjanaḥ muktaḥ exclude four types of results of action.

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

Having stated the reality of the Lord, Brahmā now explains the nature of the Lord by showing the difference of the jīva. Though you are one, you are spread in all jīvas as antaryāmī (ātmā puruṣaḥ). Puri śayanāt puruṣaḥ: he is called the puruṣa because he dwells in the body. Though he existed previously by his powers (pura) he is the ever young (nava), the lord full of the highest powers. His powers are not illusory (satyaḥ). “If he is seen to have a form, how can he be real?” He is seen by his self-manifesting mercy (svayaṁjyotiḥ). Moreover he is without an end (anantaḥ). And he is without a beginning (ādyaḥ). He has one form always since he is without change. He is fixed (akṣaraḥ) or beyond matter. Kṣaraḥ sarvāni bhūtāni: the jīvas have temporary bodies. (BG 15.16) The Lord has eternal bliss (ajasra-sukhaḥ), a form of concentrated bliss. He is pure (nirañjanaḥ). He is complete, not depending on anything else. He is devoid of relationsohip with anything different from himself (advayaḥ). He is free of upādhis. He is always benefiting all the jīvas without selfish motives. Or he by nature is endowed with his qualities. He is indestructible (amṛtaḥ). Or he bestows deathlessness to his devotees. Though having a form, the Lord is not like the jīva, who is controlled by others, limited, taking various forms by being born in a womb, being unfixed in form, having limited happiness, being impure, being related with things unlike himself, being subject to coverings (uādhis) and being subject to saṁsāra. These are related as causes of each other.