FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.7.23

त्वमाद्य: पुरुष: साक्षादीश्वर: प्रकृते: पर: । मायां व्युदस्य चिच्छक्त्या कैवल्ये स्थित आत्मनि ॥ २३ ॥
tvam ādyaḥ puruṣaḥ sākṣād
[tvam aadyah purushah saakshaad]
īśvaraḥ prakṛteḥ paraḥ
[eeshvarah prakriteh parah]
māyāṁ vyudasya cic-chaktyā
[maayaam vyudasya chich-chaktyaa]
kaivalye sthita ātmani
[kaivalye sthita aatmani]
tvam ādyaḥ — You are the original puruṣaḥ — the enjoying personality sākṣāt — directly īśvaraḥ — the controller prakṛteḥ — of material nature paraḥ — transcendental māyām — the material energy vyudasya — one who has thrown aside cit-śaktyā — by dint of internal potency kaivalye — in pure eternal knowledge and bliss sthitaḥ — placed ātmani — own self.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tvam ādyaḥ puruṣaḥ sākṣād
tvam ādyaḥ
You are the original
puruṣaḥ
the enjoying personality
sākṣāt
directly
īśvaraḥ prakṛteḥ paraḥ
īśvaraḥ
the controller
prakṛteḥ
of material nature
paraḥ
transcendental
māyāṁ vyudasya cic-chaktyā
māyām
the material energy
vyudasya
one who has thrown aside
cit-śaktyā
by dint of internal potency
kaivalye sthita ātmani
kaivalye
in pure eternal knowledge and bliss
sthitaḥ
placed
ātmani
own self.
You are the original Personality of Godhead who expands Himself all over the creations and is transcendental to material energy. You have cast away the effects of the material energy by dint of Your spiritual potency. You are always situated in eternal bliss and transcendental knowledge.

The Lord states in the Bhagavad-gītā that one who surrenders unto the lotus feet of the Lord can get release from the clutches of nescience. Kṛṣṇa is just like the sun, and māyā or material existence is just like darkness. Wherever there is the light of the sun, darkness or ignorance at once vanishes. The best means to get out of the world of ignorance is suggested here. The Lord is addressed herein as the original Personality of Godhead. From Him all other Personalities of Godhead expand. The all-pervasive Lord Viṣṇu is Lord Kṛṣṇa’s plenary portion or expansion. The Lord expands Himself in innumerable forms of Godhead and living beings, along with His different energies. But Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the original primeval Lord from whom everything emanates. The all-pervasive feature of the Lord experienced within the manifested world is also a partial representation of the Lord. Paramātmā, therefore, is included within Him. He is the Absolute Personality of Godhead. He has nothing to do with the actions and reactions of the material manifestation because He is far above the material creation. Darkness is a perverse representation of the sun, and therefore the existence of darkness depends on the existence of the sun, but in the sun proper there is no trace of darkness. As the sun is full of light only, similarly the Absolute Personality of Godhead, beyond the material existence, is full of bliss. He is not only full of bliss, but also full of transcendental variegatedness. Transcendence is not at all static, but full of dynamic variegatedness. He is distinct from the material nature, which is complicated by the three modes of material nature. He is parama, or the chief. Therefore He is absolute. He has manifold energies, and through His diverse energies He creates, manifests, maintains and destroys the material world. In His own abode, however, everything is eternal and absolute. The world is not conducted by the energies or powerful agents by themselves, but by the potent all-powerful with all energies.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
You are the original Lord, the controller, beyond material energy. You are situated in your spiritual form, being one with your spiritual energy, and separate from the material energy.
Commentary

“I am your cousin and equal to you. Do not speak like this!” Arjuna replies with this verse. You are beyond prakṛti. “By prakṛti do you mean ignorance or māyā?” Distancing your self from māyā composed of both vidyā and avidyā, unfortunate because it is your external śakti, you are situated in your spiritual form along with your auspicious cit-śakti arising from your svarūpa who is like your principal queen.

“But since I am the cause of the spiritual energy I am different from it. How can it be situated in my form?” It is one with you (kaivalye). Though it is with you, it is one with you, because it is your svarūpa-śakti. Factually you are situated in spiritual form. This cit-śakti arising from your svarūpa is always non-different from you, and is situated in the form of your body, senses and associates. Śruti says parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca: the Lord has many intrinsic energies called knowledge, strength and action. Māyā is only a shadow and remains in the form of the material world composed of three guṇas and knowledge and ignorance, because it does not arise from your svarūpa.

It (Māyā) is different from you, though it is somewhat non-different from you, being your śakti. Thus this śakti is different and non-different from you. The idea that māyā is the only śakti is rejected.

Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead, transcendent to material energy, situated in supreme bliss. Knowing who He really is reshapes how we ask for help. Address determines reception.
Reflection Questions
  • How do I usually 'address' the Lord — as concept, sentiment, or as person?
  • Whose name do I call in true emergency?
📝 My note

← Read full Chapter 7