CC Madhya 20.158
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 158
- vadanti tat tattva-vidas
- tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam
- brahmeti paramātmeti
- bhagavān iti śabdyate
SYNONYMS
vadanti—they say; tat—that; tattva-vidaḥ—learned souls; tattvam—the Absolute Truth; yat—which; jñānam—knowledge; advayam—nondual; brahma—Brahman; iti—thus; paramātmā—Paramātmā; iti—thus; bhagavān—Bhagavān; iti—thus; śabdyate—is known.
TRANSLATION
“‘Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramātmā or Bhagavān.’
PURPORT
This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (SB 1.2.11).
Those who are interested in the impersonal Brahman effulgence, which is not different from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, can attain that goal by speculative knowledge. Those who are interested in practicing mystic yoga can attain the localized aspect of Paramātmā. As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (BG 18.61), īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe ‘rjuna tiṣṭhati: the Supreme Personality of Godhead is situated within the heart as Paramātmā. He witnesses the activities of the living entities and gives them permission to act.
For a further explanation, see Adi-līlā, Chapter Two, verse 11.