SB 10.89.51 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

द्वारेण चक्रानुपथेन तत्तम: परं परं ज्योतिरनन्तपारम् । समश्न‍ुवानं प्रसमीक्ष्य फाल्गुन: प्रताडिताक्षो पिदधेऽक्षिणी उभे ॥ ५१ ॥

Verse text

dvāreṇa cakrānupathena tat tamaḥ paraṁ paraṁ jyotir ananta-pāram samaśnuvānaṁ prasamīkṣya phālgunaḥ pratāḍitākṣo pidadhe ’kṣiṇī ubhe

Synonyms

dvāreṇa — by the path ; cakra — the Sudarśana disc ; anupathena — following ; tat — that ; tamaḥ — darkness ; param — beyond ; param — transcendental ; jyotiḥ — light ; ananta — unlimited ; pāram — whose expanse ; samaśnuvānam — all-pervasive ; prasamīkṣya — beholding ; phālgunaḥ — Arjuna ; pratāḍita — pained ; akṣaḥ — whose eyes ; apidadhe — he closed ; akṣiṇī — his eyes ; ubhe — both .

Translation

Following the Sudarśana disc, the chariot went beyond the darkness and reached the endless spiritual light of the all pervasive brahmajyoti. As Arjuna beheld this glaring effulgence, his eyes hurt, and so he shut them.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Following the Sudarśana disc, the chariot went beyond the darkness and reached the endless spiritual light of the all pervasive brahma-jyoti. As Arjuna beheld this glaring effulgence, his eyes hurt, and so he shut them. KB 10.89.51 Arjuna then saw the effulgence of light known as the brahma-jyoti. The brahma-jyoti is situated outside the covering of the material universes, and because it cannot be seen with our present eyes, this brahma-jyoti is sometimes called avyakta. This spiritual effulgence is the ultimate destination of the impersonalists known as Vedāntists. The brahma-jyoti is also described as ananta-pāram, unlimited and unfathomed. When Lord Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna reached this region of the brahma-jyoti, Arjuna could not tolerate the glaring effulgence, and he closed his eyes. Lord Kṛṣṇa’s and Arjuna’s reaching the brahma-jyoti region is described in the Hari-vaṁśa. In that portion of the Vedic literature, Kṛṣṇa informs Arjuna, “My dear Arjuna, the glaring effulgence, the transcendental light you are seeing, is My bodily rays. O chief of the descendants of Bharata, this brahma-jyoti is I Myself.” As the sun disc and the sunshine cannot be separated, Kṛṣṇa and His bodily rays, the brahma-jyoti, cannot be separated. Thus Kṛṣṇa claims that the brahma-jyoti is He Himself. This is clearly stated in the Hari-vaṁśa, when Kṛṣṇa says ahaṁ saḥ. The brahma-jyoti is a combination of the minute particles known as spiritual sparks, or the living entities, known as cit-kaṇa. The Vedic words so ’ham, or “I am the brahma-jyoti,” can also be applied to the living entities, who can also claim to belong to the brahma-jyoti. In the Hari-vaṁśa, Kṛṣṇa further explains, “This brahma-jyoti is an expansion of My spiritual energy.” Kṛṣṇa told Arjuna, “The brahma-jyoti is beyond the region of My external energy, known as māyā-śakti.” When one is situated within the material world, it is not possible to experience this Brahman effulgence. In other words, in the material world this effulgence is not manifested, whereas in the spiritual world it is manifested. That is the purport of the words vyakta-avyakta in the Hari-vaṁśa. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, avyakto ’vyaktāt sanātanaḥ: both these energies are eternally manifested.

Purport

After breaking through each of the eight concentric shells of the universe, the Sudarśana disc led Lord Kṛṣṇa’s chariot into the limitless, self-effulgent atmosphere of the spiritual sky. This journey by Lord Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna to Vaikuṇṭha is also narrated in Śrī Hari-vaṁśa, where the Lord is quoted as telling His companion: brahma-tejo-mayaṁ divyaṁ mahat yad dṛṣṭavān asi ahaṁ sa bharata-śreṣṭha mat-tejas tat sanātanam “The divine expanse of Brahman effulgence you have seen is none other than Myself, O best of the Bhāratas. It is My own eternal effulgence.” prakṛtiḥ sā mama parā vyaktāvyaktā sanātanī tāṁ praviśya bhavantīha muktā yoga-vid-uttamāḥ “It comprises My eternal, spiritual energy, both manifest and unmanifest. The foremost yoga experts of this world enter within it and become liberated.” sā sāṅkhyānāṁ gatiḥ pārtha yogināṁ ca tapasvinām tat paraṁ paramaṁ brahma sarvaṁ vibhajate jagat mamaiva tad ghanaṁ tejo jṣātum arhasi bhārata “It is the supreme goal of the followers of Sāṅkhya, O Pārtha, as well as that of the yogīs and ascetics. It is the Supreme Absolute Truth, manifesting the varieties of the entire created cosmos. You should understand this brahma-jyoti, O Bhārata, to be My concentrated personal effulgence.”

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Following the path of the cakra as it pierced the seven coverings of the universe, going beyond that, Arjuna saw that supreme light which was beyond prakrti, beyond the eighth layer of prakrti (tamah param). Seeing that spiritual, most excellent (param) light spread everywhere (sam asnuvanam), he closed his eyes. This light is decribed in the Harivamsa at end of the narration. "That great shining entity composed of the light of Brahman is myself, o best of the bharatas. It is my eternal effulgence. It is my eternal superior prakrti, both manifest and unmanifest. The best knowers of yoga become liberated on entering it. It is the goal of those practicing sankhya, yoga and austerity. The whole universe worships that supreme Brahman. You should know that the intense effulgence is mine." He states that brahman is his effulgence, but also states that he is the effulgence. That is because the owner of the effulgence and the effulgence are considered non different. He also states that the Brahman is his prakrti. That spiritual brahma is his svarupa sakti beyond the touch of maya. It is manifest to spiritual eyes, but not manifest otherwise.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

Then by following the path of the cakra, they crossed prakṛti, by piercing the seven layers of matter. Arjuna then saw the light of the Lord, parabrahman, famous in the Vedānta, by his eyes endowed with cit-śakti. Its supreme position is described with the word “infinite” because it was spread everywhere at all times (sam--aśnuvānam). Arjuna describes this in Hari-vaṁśa: tatas tejaḥ prajvalitam apaśyaṁ tat tad ambare / sarva-lokaṁ samāviśya sthitaṁ puruṣa-vigraham // In space, I saw the brilliant light entering all planets, which were situated with a human form. Hari-vaṁśa 103.24 After the incident Kṛṣṇa gives instructions: brahma-tejo-mayaṁ divyaṁ mahat yad dṛṣṭavān asi ahaṁ sa bharata-śreṣṭha mat-tejas tat sanātanam The divine expanse of Brahman effulgence you have seen is none other than myself, O best of the Bhāratas. It is my own eternal effulgence. Kṛṣṇa says that he is that light, since the effulgence and the cause of the effulgence are one. prakṛtiḥ sā mama parā vyaktāvyaktā sanātanī tāṁ praviśya bhavantīha muktā yoga-vid-uttamāḥ It comprises my eternal, spiritual energy, both manifest and unmanifest. The foremost yoga experts of this world enter within it and become liberated. This is his prakṛti since it arises from his svarūpa-śakti. It is superior (parā) because it is beyond māyā. It is the root of everything and is thus what is manifest and unmanifest. Therefore the yogīs enter it. sā sāṅkhyānāṁ gatiḥ pārtha yogināṁ ca tapasvinām tat paraṁ paramaṁ brahma sarvaṁ vibhajate jagat mamaiva tad ghanaṁ tejo jñātum arhasi bhārata It is the supreme goal of the followers of Sāṅkhya, O Pārtha, as well as that of the yogīs and ascetics. It is the Supreme Absolute Truth, manifesting the varieties of the entire created cosmos. You should understand this brahma-jyoti, O Bhārata, to be my concentrated personal effulgence. Hari-vaṁśa This is my effulgence. The word eva is added after mama to indicate that it is non-different from him, since he resides within it with eight arms.

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

The light was endless (ananta-param) because it spread everywhere at all times (samaśnuvānam). Seeing that light in front of him (prasamīkṣya), he felt extreme (pra) pain in his eyes. Thus he closed both eyes.