FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.6.10

पराभूतेरधर्मस्य तमसश्चापि पश्‍चिम: । नाड्यो नदनदीनां च गोत्राणामस्थिसंहति: ॥ १० ॥
parābhūter adharmasya
[paraabhooter adharmasya]
tamasaś cāpi paścimaḥ
[tamasash chaapi pashchimah]
nāḍyo nada-nadīnāṁ ca
[naadyo nada-nadeenaam cha]
gotrāṇām asthi-saṁhatiḥ
[gotraanaam asthi-samhatih]
parābhūteḥ — of frustration adharmasya — of immorality tamasaḥ — of ignorance ca — and api — as also paścimaḥ — the back nāḍyaḥ — of the intestines nada — of the great rivers nadīnām — of the rivulets ca — also gotrāṇām — of the mountains asthi — bones saṁhatiḥ — accumulation.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
parābhūter adharmasya
parābhūteḥ
of frustration
adharmasya
of immorality
tamasaś cāpi paścimaḥ
tamasaḥ
of ignorance
ca
and
api
as also
paścimaḥ
the back
nāḍyo nada-nadīnāṁ ca
nāḍyaḥ
of the intestines
nada
of the great rivers
nadīnām
of the rivulets
ca
also
gotrāṇām asthi-saṁhatiḥ
gotrāṇām
of the mountains
asthi
bones
saṁhatiḥ
accumulation.
The back of the Lord is the place for all kinds of frustration and ignorance, as well as for immorality. From His veins flow the great rivers and rivulets, and on His bones are stacked the great mountains.

In order to defy the impersonal conception of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, a systematic analysis of the physiological and anatomical constitution of His transcendental body is given here. It is clear from the available description of the body of the Lord (His universal form) that the form of the Lord is distinct from the forms of ordinary mundane conception. In any case, He is never a formless void. Ignorance is the back of the Lord, and therefore the ignorance of the less intelligent class of men is also not separate from His bodily conception. Since His body is the complete whole of everything that be, one cannot assert that He is impersonal only. On the contrary, the perfect description of the Lord holds that He is both impersonal and personal simultaneously. The Personality of Godhead is the original feature of the Lord, and His impersonal emanation is but the reflection of His transcendental body. Those who are fortunate enough to have a view of the Lord from the front can realize His personal feature, whereas those who are frustrated and are thus kept on the ignorance side of the Lord, or, in other words, those who have the view of the Lord from the back, realize Him in His impersonal feature.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
From the Lord’s back arose destruction, irreligion, and ignorance. From his veins arose the rivers and streams. From his bones arose mountains.
Commentary

Tamasaḥ means ignorance. It arose from his back (paścimaḥ). Gotrānām means mountains.

Frustration, ignorance, and immorality are described as the 'back' of the Lord — not separate from Him, but turned away. The Lord is neither only personal nor only impersonal; He contains both. Don't oversimplify Him.
Reflection Questions
  • Where do I oversimplify God into one comfortable image?
  • What if my current 'frustration' is simply being at the back, asking to be brought to the front?
📝 My note

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