Devanagari
आत्मा ह्येक: स्वयंज्योतिर्नित्योऽन्यो निर्गुणो गुणै: ।
आत्मसृष्टैस्तत्कृतेषु भूतेषु बहुधेयते ॥ २४ ॥
Verse text
ātmā hy ekaḥ svayaṁ-jyotir
nityo ’nyo nirguṇo guṇaiḥ
ātma-sṛṣṭais tat-kṛteṣu
bhūteṣu bahudheyate
Synonyms
ātmā
—
the Supreme Soul
;
hi
—
indeed
;
ekaḥ
—
one
;
svayam
—
jyotiḥ — self-luminous
;
nityaḥ
—
eternal
;
anyaḥ
—
distinct (from the material energy)
;
nirguṇaḥ
—
free from material qualities
;
guṇaiḥ
—
by the modes
;
ātma
—
from itself
;
sṛṣṭaiḥ
—
created
;
tat
—
in their
;
kṛteṣu
—
products
;
bhūteṣu
—
material entities
;
bahudhā
—
manifold
;
īyate
—
it appears .
Translation
The supreme spirit, Paramātmā, is indeed one. He is self-luminous and eternal, transcendental and devoid of material qualities. But through the agency of the very modes He has created, the one Supreme Truth manifests as many among the expansions of those modes.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The supreme spirit, Paramātmā, is indeed one. He is self-luminous and eternal, transcendental and devoid of material qualities. But through the agency of the very modes He has created, the one Supreme Truth manifests as many among the expansions of those modes.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
How to perceive the Lord is described in two verses. Ātmā means Paramātmā. Hi means “because.” The Paramātmā is perceived as many with the jīvas as his aṁśas. He is perceived as devatās or humans in bodies created by the guṇas arising from the Lord’s (ātma) māyā-śakti (sṛṣṭaiḥ).
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
“Is it proper to see all the jīvas equally as the Lord?” The jīvas are non-different from him being his aṁśas. But why are they seen to be many?” Two verses explain. Though (hi) there is one ātmā he appears as many. He is not associated with the body (anyaḥ). Being one, self-manifesting, eternal, different from the body, and beyond the guṇas are reasons, in sequence from strongest to weakest, for not being perceived as many. The Lord is perceived as many in bodies created by the guṇas created by the Lord. The guṇas are not independent. They are māyā.