Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.16.40
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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jñāna - vijñāna - nidhaye
—
to the ocean of knowledge and realized knowledge
Compound: jñāna (theoretical knowledge) + vijñāna (realized knowledge) + nidhi (ocean, treasury). The pair recurs through the Bhāgavatam: knowing about Bhagavān and tasting Him are two depths.
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brahmaṇe
—
to the Absolute Truth
Dative of brahman. Gauḍīya theology: Bhagavān is the source of Brahman (brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham — Gītā 14.27). Worshipping brahman properly means worshipping Bhagavān-as-brahman.
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ananta - śaktaye
—
(to Him) whose potencies are unlimited
Compound: ananta (unlimited) + śakti (potency). Foundational Gauḍīya doctrine: Bhagavān possesses unlimited śaktis (parā, aparā, taṭasthā). His unlimitedness is precisely the unlimitedness of His energies.
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aguṇāya
—
to (Him who is) without material qualities
A (not) + guṇa (material modes). Bhagavān is not bound by sattva-rajas-tamas. Gauḍīya: aguṇa does not mean impersonal; it means free of MATERIAL qualities. He has unlimited spiritual qualities.
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prākṛtāya
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(yet) the prime mover (of prakṛti)
From prakṛti — though He is aguṇa, He moves prakṛti. The verse's whole rhetorical force is the simultaneous holding of negation and affirmation.
Those who consider themselves intellectual, philosophic or rational should carefully note here that the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the ocean of all knowledge and consciousness. Thus surrendering unto the Supreme Lord does not entail giving up the method of rationally comprehending reality. Rather, one merges into the ocean of rational, logical comprehension. The Supreme Lord is the perfection of all sciences and all forms of knowledge, and only envious and trivial minds would deny this obvious fact.
In this verse he is described as the object of jnanis. "We offer respects (as the goal of the jnanis) to he who is the reservoir of all knowledge and cit sakti (janana vijnana nidhi), just as the ocean is the reservoir of all gems. We offer respects to you (again as object of the devotees worship) as the ocean of infinite inconceivable powers (ananta sakti). We offer respects to he whose qualities do not transform into material qualities (agunaya avikaraya). We offer respects to he who has variety of non-material qualities (aprakrtaya)." The material qualities inferred by the foolish persons is rejected in the humanlike form worshipped by the devotee.
You are knowledge itself and an ocean of vijñāna. You are a form with no internal differences or external differences (complete oneness). You have unlimited powers. You do not undergo transformation since you are beyond the guṇas. You are instigator of prakṛti. These names show his astonishing nature. There is the same intention in the other verses.
You are knowledge itself and an ocean of vijñāna. You are a form with no internal differences or external differences (complete oneness). You have unlimited powers. You do not undergo transformation since you are beyond the guṇas. You are instigator of prakṛti. Or you are the ocean of knowledge (jñāna-svarūpāya), possess all powers (brahmaṇe), are without change (aguṇāya), and are beyond matter (aprākṛtāya). These names show his astonishing nature. There is the same intention in the other verses.
- Where have I treated faith and reason as opponents the Lord Himself would unite?
- What honest question of mine would my best thinking be willing to ask Him, not just about Him?
Obeisances to You who are the ocean of consciousness and potency, possessor of unlimited energies, without material qualities or transformation — and yet the prime mover of the qualities themselves. The wives hold both poles at once: Bhagavān is nirguṇa AND the source of the guṇas. Pure acintya-bhedābheda.
My note
Source: vedabase.io