Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.54.44
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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paraḥ
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the Supreme
Para — the Supreme. The Gauḍīya reading: paraḥ ātmā here is Paramātmā, the Lord's pervasive aspect, not a featureless 'one.' One Lord, infinitely related to many jīvas. The word para is laden — used in Vaiṣṇava texts for everything trans-material.
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jyotiḥ
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a celestial body / light
Light of sun, moon, or star. Prabhupāda's purport explicates: one moon, many reflections. The simile carries acintya-bhedābheda — the moon is really one and really many at once.
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nabhaḥ
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the sky
Nabhas. The sky is one; the sky in a thousand water-pots is one-as-many. A Bhāgavata-classic image. The Lord's presence in each jīva is real (bhedā), yet His unity is unbroken (abhedā).
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mūḍhaiḥ
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by those who are bewildered
Plural instrumental of mūḍha. The same word the Gītā uses (BG 7.25) for those who do not know the Lord. Bewilderment here = mistaking the apparent plurality of jīvas for ontological pluralism.
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nānā-iva
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as if many
Nānā (many) + iva (as if). The iva is doing all the philosophical work — the multiplicity is real-as-perceived but not absolutely real. Gauḍīyas insert their bhedābheda exactly at this iva.
The last line of this text, y athā jyotir yathā nabhaḥ, introduces two analogies in which we perceive one thing to be many. Jyotiḥ indicates the light of heavenly bodies such as the sun or moon. Although there is only one moon, we may see the moon reflected in pools, rivers, lakes and buckets of water. Then it would appear as if there were many moons, although there is only one. Similarly, we perceive a divine presence in each living being because the Supreme Lord is present everywhere, although He is one. The second analogy given here, yathā nabhaḥ, is that of the sky. If we have a row of sealed clay pots in a room, the sky, or air, is in each pot, although the sky itself is one. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.32) gives a similar analogy concerning fire and wood: yathā hy avahito vahnir dāruṣv ekaḥ sva-yoniṣu nāneva bhāti viśvātmā bhūteṣu ca tathā pumān “The Lord, as the Supersoul, pervades all things, just as fire permeates wood, and so He appears to be of many varieties, though He is the absolute one without a second.”
In two verse he refutes the misconception of those who think body is self. First he states that the body is not the supersoul. The supersoul is certainly the one inspirer of the many jivas with bodies. Two examples are given to show one is the basis of many. It is like fire within wood and ether in the pot, as is said in the First cantao: yatha hy avahito... The Lord, as Supersoul, pervades all things, just as fire permeates wood, and so He appears to be of many varieties, though He is the absolute one without a second.(sb 1.2.32)
“We directly see variety in the universe. So then there should also be friendship in the universe.” How do you say that? This is illusion about ātmā. All the jīvas are spiritual in nature, and thus actually have no difference. They are one only (ekaḥ). As amśas of Paramātmā they all have similar svarūpa. Paramātmā with inconceivable energy is like the sun. The ātmās, as aṁśas of taṭastha-śakti, are like particles of light in the sun’s rays. Since the ātmās are like the light of the sun, because of the inconceivable energy, acintya-śakti, there is no room for raising an objection about them. They are one because (hi) the ātmā is different from the body (paraḥ). There is variety only because of bodies. There is no variety in the ātmā. How can variety be perceived, since the ātmās are all without material disturbances? The variety arises because of variety in the ātmā’s location. Examples are given. In the first example of light perceived as many reflections, there is difference perceived between the object and its reflection. Thus another example is given: the sky in the pot. There is another meaning. Ātatatvāc ca mātṛtvād ātmā hi paramo hariḥ: the Lord is called ātmā since he spreads everywhere and is the source of everything like a mother. (quoted in Śrīdhara’s Bhāgavatam commentary) The Supreme Lord (ātmā) is one only. He is the one ātmā in all those who identify with their bodies. He is in reality the best, superior (paraḥ) to all of them, exhibiting the highest prema. The ātmās, those who identify with bodies, are accepted by fools to be supreme. When illusion dissolves in some persons, they perceive ātmā in its true form according to qualification, with a shadow of prema. An example is given. If one has not seen the sun, a lamp is accepted as supreme. Having not seen the expansive sky, flies take the space in an uḍumbara tree to be the supreme sky.
“We directly see variety in the universe. So then there should also be friendship in the universe.” How do you say that? This is illusion about ātmā. All the jīvas are spiritual in nature, and thus actually have no difference. They are one only (ekaḥ). There is one ātmā for all those receiving various types of bodies of four types since it is different from the bodies (paraḥ). The bodies are various, but not the ātmā. Why is variety perceived? There is variety in the upādhi of bodies. An example is given. It looks like variety (iva) for fools who do not know the truth or who identify with their bodies, but is actually one.
- Where does perceptual error in you produce 'many' where scripture insists on 'one'?
- How does this verse change your view of conflict between two parties both filled with the same Soul?
One moon is seen as many in many pools; one sky is perceived as many through many windows. Balarāma uses sky-and-light imagery to teach jīva-Brahman unity-in-distinction. Gauḍīyas read this acintya-bhedābheda: the Supreme is one, yet really plural in the multiple jīvas — like the same sun's rays in many waters.
My note
Source: vedabase.io