SB 8.3.9 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

न विद्यते यस्य च जन्म कर्म वा न नामरूपे गुणदोष एव वा । तथापि लोकाप्ययसम्भवाय य: स्वमायया तान्यनुकालमृच्छति ॥ ८ ॥ तस्मै नम: परेशाय ब्रह्मणेऽनन्तशक्तये । अरूपायोरुरूपाय नम आश्चर्यकर्मणे ॥ ९ ॥

Verse text

na vidyate yasya ca janma karma vā na nāma-rūpe guṇa-doṣa eva vā tathāpi lokāpyaya-sambhavāya yaḥ sva-māyayā tāny anukālam ṛcchati tasmai namaḥ pareśāya brahmaṇe ’nanta-śaktaye arūpāyoru-rūpāya nama āścarya-karmaṇe

Synonyms

na — not ; vidyate — there is ; yasya — of whom (the Supreme Personality of Godhead) ; ca — also ; janma — birth ; karma — activities ; vā — or ; na — nor ; nāma — rūpe — any material name or material form ; guṇa — qualities ; doṣaḥ — fault ; eva — certainly ; vā — either ; tathāpi — still ; loka — of this cosmic manifestation ; apyaya — who is the destruction ; sambhavāya — and creation ; yaḥ — He who ; sva — māyayā — by His own potency ; tāni — activities ; anukālam — eternally ; ṛcchati — accepts ; tasmai — unto Him ; namaḥ — I offer my obeisances ; para — transcendental ; īśāya — who is the supreme controller ; brahmaṇe — who is the Supreme Brahman (Parabrahman) ; ananta — śaktaye — with unlimited potency ; arūpāya — possessing no material form ; uru — rūpāya — possessing various forms as incarnations ; namaḥ — I offer my obeisances ; āścarya — karmaṇe — whose activities are wonderful .

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead has no material birth, activities, name, form, qualities or faults. To fulfill the purpose for which this material world is created and destroyed, He comes in the form of a human being like Lord Rāma or Lord Kṛṣṇa by His original internal potency. He has immense potency, and in various forms, all free from material contamination, He acts wonderfully. He is therefore the Supreme Brahman. I offer my respects to Him.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

He who has no birth or activities, no name or form, and no qualities or faults, accepts birth and activities as Brahmā and Śiva at the time creation and destruction by his energies of rajas and tamas for creating and destroying the universe. I offer respects to Paramātmā, Brahman, with unlimited powers, who is devoid of material forms but who has many spiritual forms and astonishing activities. Though the Lord has no material birth and actions, he appears with birth and actions in this world. Guṇa-doṣam is a samāhāra-dvandva compound and thus the last word is neuter. Another version has guṇa-doṣaḥ. In this case the words are considered as one unit as in the sentence ukāro ‘jhrasva-dīrgha-plūtaḥ. However, at the time of destruction and creation (anukulam), the Lord accepts birth and activities in the forms of Brahmā and Śiva, by rajas and tamas (sva-māyayā) for creation and destruction. Maintenance of the world by Viṣṇu is not mentioned since Viṣṇu is beyond māyā. Thus non-material birth and activities are not forbidden for the Lord. One cannot reject the birth from Devakī, actions like lifting Govardhana, or names and forms like Kṛṣṇa and Rāma, according to śruti. Material influence is forbidden: Niṣkalaṁ niṣkriyaṁ śāntaṁ niravadyaṁ niraṣjanam The Lord is without parts, without action, peaceful, without fault, without contamination. Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.19 aśabdam asparśam arūpam avyayam The Lord is beyond sound, beyond touch, beyond form and indestructible. Katha Upaniṣad 1.3.5 But spiritual activity and qualities are described: sa sarva-karmā sarva-gandhāh sarva-rasaḥ sarva-kāmaḥ. The Lord is all activities, all fragrance, all taste and all desire. Chāndogya Upaniṣad 3.14.2 Viṣṇu Purāṇa says: Guṇāṁś ca doṣāṁś ca mune vyatītaḥ…samasta-kalyāṇa-guṇātmako hī The Lord is devoid of faulty qualities, but has all auspicious qualities. jṣāna-śakti-balaiśvarya-vīrya-tejāṁsya śeṣataḥ bhagavac chabda-vācyāni vinā heyair guṇadibhiḥ The word bhagavān means the person endowed with unlimited knowledge, śakti, strength, greatness, prowess, and beauty, without any inferior qualities. yo sau nirguṇa ity uktaḥ śāstreṣu jagad īśvaraḥ prākṛtair heya-saṁyuktair guṇair heyatvam ucyate It is said in all scriptures that the Lord of the universe is without qualities. He is devoid of inferior qualities. The word inferior means material qualities. Padma Purāṇa The Lord’s name is spiritual. oṁ āsya jānanto nāma cit viviktana mahas te viṣno sumatiṁ bhajāmahe O Viṣṇu! Your name is spiritual (cit), self-revealed (mahat). Knowing that name a little (ā), not completely, chanting impurely (viviktana) we have attained fine intelligence about you, because that name (tat), oṁ, is perfect in itself (sat). [Note: This is Viśvanātha’s translation. It seems the word viviktana is actually vivaktana (you should chant). Thus the meaning would change. ] Rg Veda 1.156.3 Arūpaya means “unto the Lord devoid of material form.” Uru-rūpaya means “unto the Lord who has many spiritual forms such as Rāma and Kṛṣṇa.”

Purport

In the Viṣṇu Purāṇa it is said, guṇāṁś ca doṣāṁś ca mune vyatīta samasta-kalyāṇa-guṇātmako hi. The Supreme Personality of Godhead has no material form, qualities or faults. He is spiritual and is the only reservoir of all spiritual qualities. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (4.8) by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām. The Lord’s activities of saving the devotees and annihilating the demons are transcendental. Anyone annihilated by the Supreme Personality of Godhead gets the same result as a devotee who is protected by the Lord; both of them are transcendentally promoted. The only difference is that a devotee goes directly to the spiritual planets and becomes an associate of the Supreme Lord, whereas demons are promoted to brahmaloka, the impersonal effulgence of the Lord. Both of them, however, are transcendentally promoted. The Lord’s killing or annihilating of the demons is not exactly like the killing of this material world. Although He appears to act within the modes of material nature, He is nirguṇa, above the modes of nature. His name is not material; otherwise how could one get liberation by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Rāma? The names of the Lord like Rāma and Kṛṣṇa are nondifferent from the person Rāma and Kṛṣṇa. Thus by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra one constantly associates with Rāma and Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore becomes liberated. A practical example is Ajāmila, who always remained transcendental to his activities simply by chanting the name Nārāyaṇa. If this was true of Ajāmila, what is to be said of the Supreme Lord? When the Lord comes to this material world, He does not become a product of matter. This is confirmed throughout Bhagavad-gītā ( janma-karma ca me divyam, avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam ). Therefore, when the Supreme Personality of Godhead — Rāma or Kṛṣṇa — descends to act transcendentally for our benefit, we should not consider Him an ordinary human being. When the Lord comes, He does so on the basis of His spiritual potency ( sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā ). Because He is not forced to come by the material energy, He is always transcendental. One should not consider the Supreme Lord an ordinary human being. Material names and forms are contaminated, but spiritual name and spiritual form are transcendental.