SB 12.4.19 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

अपां रसमथो तेजस्ता लीयन्तेऽथ नीरसा: । ग्रसते तेजसो रूपं वायुस्तद्रहितं तदा ॥ १५ ॥ लीयते चानिले तेजो वायो: खं ग्रसते गुणम् । स वै विशति खं राजंस्ततश्च नभसो गुणम् ॥ १६ ॥ शब्दं ग्रसति भूतादिर्नभस्तमनुलीयते । तैजसश्चेन्द्रियाण्यङ्ग देवान् वैकारिको गुणै: ॥ १७ ॥ महान् ग्रसत्यहङ्कारं गुणा: सत्त्वादयश्च तम् । ग्रसतेऽव्याकृतं राजन् गुणान् कालेन चोदितम् ॥ १८ ॥ न तस्य कालावयवै: परिणामादयो गुणा: । अनाद्यनन्तमव्यक्तं नित्यं कारणमव्ययम् ॥ १९ ॥

Verse text

apāṁ rasam atho tejas tā līyante ’tha nīrasāḥ grasate tejaso rūpaṁ vāyus tad-rahitaṁ tadā līyate cānile tejo vāyoḥ khaṁ grasate guṇam sa vai viśati khaṁ rājaṁs tataś ca nabhaso guṇam śabdaṁ grasati bhūtādir nabhas tam anu līyate taijasaś cendriyāṇy aṅga devān vaikāriko guṇaiḥ mahān grasaty ahaṅkāraṁ guṇāḥ sattvādayaś ca tam grasate ’vyākṛtaṁ rājan guṇān kālena coditam na tasya kālāvayavaiḥ pariṇāmādayo guṇāḥ anādy anantam avyaktaṁ nityaṁ kāraṇam avyayam

Synonyms

apām — of water ; rasam — the taste ; atha — then ; tejaḥ — fire ; tāḥ — that water ; līyante — dissolves ; atha — after this ; nīrasāḥ — deprived of its quality of taste ; grasate — takes away ; tejasaḥ — of fire ; rūpam — the form ; vāyuḥ — the air ; tat — rahitam — deprived of that form ; tadā — then ; līyate — merges ; ca — and ; anile — in wind ; tejaḥ — fire ; vāyoḥ — of the air ; kham — the ether ; grasate — takes away ; guṇam — the perceptible quality (touch) ; saḥ — that air ; vai — indeed ; viśati — enters ; kham — the ether ; rājan — O King Parīkṣit ; tataḥ — thereupon ; ca — and ; nabhasaḥ — of the ether ; guṇam — the quality ; śabdam — sound ; grasati — takes away ; bhūta — ādiḥ — the element of false ego in the mode of ignorance ; nabhaḥ — the ether ; tam — into that false ego ; anu — subsequently ; līyate — merges ; taijasaḥ — false ego in the mode of passion ; ca — and ; indriyāṇi — the senses ; aṅga — my dear King ; devān — the demigods ; vaikārikaḥ — false ego in the mode of goodness ; guṇaiḥ — along with the manifest functions (of false ego) ; mahān — the mahat-tattva ; grasati — seizes ; ahaṅkāram — false ego ; guṇāḥ — the basic modes of nature ; sattva — ādayaḥ — goodness, passion and ignorance ; ca — and ; tam — that mahat ; grasate — seizes ; avyākṛtam — the unmanifest original form of nature ; rājan — O King ; guṇān — the three modes ; kālena — by time ; coditam — impelled ; na — there are not ; tasya — of that unmanifest nature ; kāla — of time ; avayavaiḥ — by the segments ; pariṇāma — ādayaḥ — transformation and the other changes of visible matter (creation, growth and so on) ; guṇāḥ — such qualities ; anādi — without beginning ; anantam — without end ; avyaktam — unmanifest ; nityam — eternal ; kāraṇam — the cause ; avyayam — infallible .

Translation

The element fire then seizes the taste from the element water, which, deprived of its unique quality, taste, merges into fire. Air seizes the form inherent in fire, and then fire, deprived of form, merges into air. The element ether seizes the quality of air, namely touch, and that air enters into ether. Then, O King, false ego in ignorance seizes sound, the quality of ether, after which ether merges into false ego. False ego in the mode of passion takes hold of the senses, and false ego in the mode of goodness absorbs the demigods. Then the total mahat-tattva seizes false ego along with its various functions, and that mahat is seized by the three basic modes of nature — goodness, passion and ignorance. My dear King Parīkṣit, these modes are further overtaken by the original unmanifest form of nature, impelled by time. That unmanifest nature is not subject to the six kinds of transformation caused by the influence of time. Rather, it has no beginning and no end. It is the unmanifest, eternal and infallible cause of creation.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

The element fire then swallows up the taste from the element water, which, deprived of its unique quality, taste, merges into fire. Air swallows up the form inherent in fire, and then fire, deprived of form, merges into air. The element ether swallows up the quality of air, namely touch, and that air enters into ether. Then, O King, false ego in ignorance swallows up sound, the quality of ether, after which ether also merges into false ego in ignorance. False ego in passion consumes of the senses, and false ego in goodness absorbs the devatās. Then the total mahat-tattva consumes false ego along with its various functions, and that mahat-tattva is consumed by the three basic modes of nature—goodness, passion and ignorance. My dear King Parīkṣit, these modes are further swallowed up by prakṛti, impelled by time. That prakṛti is not subject to the six kinds of transformation caused by the influence of time. Rather, it has no birth, no death, no existence, no increase, no change, and no decrease. It is the cause of the universe. The verb grasati should be added to the first line of verse 15. Bhūtādiḥ means ahaṅkāra in tamas. Ahaṅkāra in rajas swallows up the senses. Mahat-tattva swallows up ahaṅkāra along with its transformation of guṇas (ahaṅkāra in the modes of tamas, rajas and sattva). The guṇas swallow up mahat-tattva (tam). Avyākṛtam means pradhāna or prakṛti. Prakṛti is not subject to the transformation and other factors produced by the limbs of time, by days and nights. Pariṇāma or development is the fourth change (vikāra) among six which are not present in prakṛti. The first is birth. But prakrṭi has no beginning (anādi). It has no end (anantam). Avyaktam means that it does not show itself as existing for some time. Nityam means that prakṛti is always in one form. It does not increase or grow. It does not decline (avyayam). Thus the six transformations are absent in prakṛti. [Note: The six transformations are janma, astitva, vṛrdhi, pariṇāma, apakṣaya, and mṛtyu. jāyate asti vardhate vipariṇamate apakṣīyate naśyaty]