SB 6.4.25 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

देहोऽसवोऽक्षा मनवो भूतमात्रा- मात्मानमन्यं च विदु: परं यत् । सर्वं पुमान् वेद गुणांश्च तज्ज्ञो न वेद सर्वज्ञमनन्तमीडे ॥ २५ ॥

Verse text

deho ’savo ’kṣā manavo bhūta-mātrām ātmānam anyaṁ ca viduḥ paraṁ yat sarvaṁ pumān veda guṇāṁś ca taj-jṣo na veda sarva-jṣam anantam īḍe

Synonyms

dehaḥ — this body ; asavaḥ — the life airs ; akṣāḥ — the different senses ; manavaḥ — the mind, understanding, intellect and ego ; bhūta — mātrām — the five gross material elements and the sense objects (form, taste, sound and so on) ; ātmānam — themselves ; anyam — any other ; ca — and ; viduḥ — know ; param — beyond ; yat — that which ; sarvam — everything ; pumān — the living being ; veda — knows ; guṇān — the qualities of the material nature ; ca — and ; tat — jṣaḥ — knowing those things ; na — not ; veda — knows ; sarva — jṣam — unto the omniscient ; anantam — the unlimited ; īḍe — I offer my respectful obeisances .

Translation

Because they are only matter, the body, the life airs, the external and internal senses, the five gross elements and the subtle sense objects [form, taste, smell, sound and touch] cannot know their own nature, the nature of the other senses or the nature of their controllers. But the living being, because of his spiritual nature, can know his body, the life airs, the senses, the elements and the sense objects, and he can also know the three qualities that form their roots. Nevertheless, although the living being is completely aware of them, he is unable to see the Supreme Being, who is omniscient and unlimited. I therefore offer my respectful obeisances unto Him.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

The body, life airs, senses, internal senses, gross elements and sense objects do not know themselves or other things or the jīva. The jīva knows all of these items and the guṇas which cause them. He also can know Paramātmā, but does not really know the omniscient Lord. I worship that Lord with infinite qualities. “The sense objects cannot know since they are material. But the jīva is conscious. Why does the jīva not know the Lord?” Though the jīva is conscious, he is unconscious of the Lord. The body, the life airs in the body, the sense and the internal senses (manavaḥ), the five gross elements (bhūta) and the sense objects (mātrām), do not know their own form or the form of other things, or the form of the jīva different from all other ātmās. The jīva however, because it is conscious, knows everything—the self, the body and the guṇas of matter, which are the root of all those items. In the liberated state the jīva also knows the Paramātmā (taj-jṣaḥ). But he does not know the Supreme Lord. “But you said the jīva knows the Paramātmā. Why do you say he does not know the Lord?” He does not know because the Lord’s spiritual qualities are unlimited (anantam). It is said: dyupataya eva te na yayur antam anantatayā tvam api yad antarāṇḍa-nicayā nanu sāvaraṇāḥ kha iva rajāṁsi vānti vayasā saha yac chrutayas tvayi hi phalanty atannirasanena bhavan-nidhanāḥ My Lord, you are unlimited, and no one has estimated the extent of your potencies. I think that even you do not know the range of your potential energies. Unlimited planets float in the sky just like atoms, and great Vedāntists, who are engaged in research to find you, discover that everything is different from you. Thus they finally decide that you are everything. SB 10.87.41

Purport

Material scientists can make an analytical study of the physical elements, the body, the senses, the sense objects and even the air that controls the vital force, but still they cannot understand that above all these is the real spirit soul. In other words, the living entity, because of his being a spirit soul, can understand all the material objects, or, when self-realized, he can understand the Paramātmā, upon whom yogīs meditate. Nevertheless, the living being, even if advanced, cannot understand the Supreme Being, the Personality of Godhead, for He is ananta, unlimited, in all six opulences.