SB 8.3.22-24

Srimad-Bhagavatam - Eighth Canto - Chapter 3: Gajendra's Prayers of Surrender

SB 8.3.20-21 - SB 8.3.25

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

TEXTS 22-24

yasya brahmādayo devā

vedā lokāś carācarāḥ

nāma-rūpa-vibhedena

phalgvyā ca kalayā kṛtāḥ

yathārciṣo 'gneḥ savitur gabhastayo

niryānti saṁyānty asakṛt sva-rociṣaḥ

tathā yato 'yaṁ guṇa-sampravāho

buddhir manaḥ khāni śarīra-sargāḥ

sa vai na devāsura-martya-tiryaṅ

na strī na ṣaṇḍho na pumān na jantuḥ

nāyaṁ guṇaḥ karma na san na cāsan

niṣedha-śeṣo jayatād aśeṣaḥ

SYNONYMS

yasya—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who; brahma-ādayaḥ—the great demigods, headed by Lord Brahmā; devāḥ—and other demigods; vedāḥ—the Vedic knowledge; lokāḥ—different personalities; cara-acarāḥ—the moving and the nonmoving (like trees and plants); nāma-rūpa—of different names and different forms; vibhedena—by such divisions; phalgvyā—who are less important; ca—also; kalayā—by the parts; kṛtāḥ—created; yathā—as; arciṣaḥ—the sparks; agneḥ—of fire; savituḥ—from the sun; gabhastayaḥ—the shining particles; niryānti—emanate from; saṁyānti—and enter into; asakṛt—again and again; sva-rociṣaḥ—as parts and parcels; tathā—similarly; yataḥ—the Personality of Godhead from whom; ayam—this; guṇa-sampravāhaḥ—continuous manifestation of the different modes of nature; buddhiḥ manaḥ—the intelligence and mind; khāni—the senses; śarīra—of the body (gross and subtle); sargāḥ—the divisions; saḥ—that Supreme Personality of Godhead; vai—indeed; na—is not; deva—demigod; asura—demon; martya—human being; tiryak—bird or beast; na—neither; strī—woman; na—nor; ṣaṇḍhaḥ—neuter; na—neither; pumān—man; na—nor; jantuḥ—living being or animal; na ayam—nor is He; guṇaḥ—material quality; karma—fruitive activity; na—is not; sat—manifestation; na—nor; ca—also; asat—nonmanifestation; niṣedha—of the discrimination of neti neti ("not this, not this"); śeṣaḥ—He is the end; jayatāt—all glories unto Him; aśeṣaḥ—who is unlimited.

TRANSLATION

The Supreme Personality of Godhead creates His minor parts and parcels, the jīva-tattva, beginning with Lord Brahmā, the demigods and the expansions of Vedic knowledge [Sāma, Ṛg, Yajur and Atharva] and including all other living entities, moving and nonmoving, with their different names and characteristics. As the sparks of a fire or the shining rays of the sun emanate from their source and merge into it again and again, the mind, the intelligence, the senses, the gross and subtle material bodies, and the continuous transformations of the different modes of nature all emanate from the Lord and again merge into Him. He is neither demigod nor demon, neither human nor bird or beast. He is not woman, man, or neuter, nor is He an animal. He is not a material quality, a fruitive activity, a manifestation or nonmanifestation. He is the last word in the discrimination of "not this, not this," and He is unlimited. All glories to the Supreme Personality of Godhead!

PURPORT

This is a summary description of the Supreme Personality of Godhead's unlimited potency. That supreme one is acting in different phases by manifesting His parts and parcels, which are all simultaneously differently situated by His different potencies (parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (CC Madhya 13.65, purport)). Each and every potency is acting quite naturally (svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca). Therefore the Lord is unlimited. Na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate: nothing is equal to Him, nor is anything greater than Him. Although He manifests Himself in so many ways, personally He has nothing to do (na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate), for everything is done by expansions of His unlimited energies.

SB 8.3.20-21 - SB 8.3.25