FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.6.22

यस्मादण्डं विराड् जज्ञे भूतेन्द्रियगुणात्मक: । तद् द्रव्यमत्यगाद् विश्वं गोभि: सूर्य इवातपन् ॥ २२ ॥
yasmād aṇḍaṁ virāḍ jajñe
[yasmaad andam viraad jajne]
bhūtendriya-guṇātmakaḥ
[bhootendriya-gunaatmakah]
tad dravyam atyagād viśvaṁ
[tad dravyam atyagaad vishvam]
gobhiḥ sūrya ivātapan
[gobhih soorya ivaatapan]
yasmāt — from whom aṇḍam — the universal globes virāṭ — and the gigantic universal form jajñe — appeared bhūta — elements indriya — senses guṇa-ātmakaḥ — qualitative tat dravyam — the universes and the universal form, etc. atyagāt — surpassed viśvam — all the universes gobhiḥ — by the rays sūryaḥ — the sun iva — like ātapan — distributed rays and heat.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yasmād aṇḍaṁ virāḍ jajñe
yasmāt
from whom
aṇḍam
the universal globes
virāṭ
and the gigantic universal form
jajñe
appeared
bhūtendriya-guṇātmakaḥ
bhūta
elements
indriya
senses
guṇa-ātmakaḥ
qualitative
tad dravyam atyagād viśvaṁ
tat dravyam
the universes and the universal form, etc.
atyagāt
surpassed
viśvam
all the universes
gobhiḥ sūrya ivātapan
gobhiḥ
by the rays
sūryaḥ
the sun
iva
like
ātapan
distributed rays and heat.
From that Personality of Godhead, all the universal globes and the universal form with all material elements, qualities and senses are generated. Yet He is aloof from such material manifestations, like the sun, which is separate from its rays and heat.

The supreme truth has been ascertained in the previous verse as puruṣa or the puruṣottama, the Supreme Person. The Absolute Person is the īśvara, or the supreme controller, by His different energies. The ekapād-vibhūti manifestation of the material energy of the Lord is just like one of the many mistresses of the Lord, by whom the Lord is not so much attracted, as indicated in the language of the Gītā ( bhinnā prakṛtiḥ ). But the region of the tripād-vibhūti, being a pure spiritual manifestation of the energy of the Lord, is, so to speak, more attractive to Him. The Lord, therefore, generates the material manifestations by impregnating the material energy, and then, within the manifestation, He expands Himself as the gigantic form of the viśva-rūpa. The viśva-rūpa, as it was shown to Arjuna, is not the original form of the Lord. The original form of the Lord is the transcendental form of Puruṣottama, or Kṛṣṇa Himself. It is very nicely explained herein that He expands Himself just like the sun. The sun expands itself by its terrible heat and rays, yet the sun is always aloof from such rays and heat. The impersonalist takes into consideration the rays of the Lord without any information of the tangible, transcendental, eternal form of the Lord, known as Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa, in His supreme personal form, with two hands and flute, is bewildering for the impersonalists, who can accommodate only the gigantic viśva-rūpa of the Lord. They should know that the rays of the sun are secondary to the sun, and similarly the impersonal gigantic form of the Lord is also secondary to the personal form as Puruṣottama. The Brahma-saṁhitā (5.37) confirms this statement as follows:

ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūto govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda, the one who enlivens the senses of everyone by His personal bodily rays, resides in His transcendental abode, called Goloka. Yet He is present in every nook and corner of His creation by expansion of happy spiritual rays, equal in power to His personal potency of bliss.” He is therefore simultaneously personal and impersonal by His inconceivable potency, or He is the one without a second, displaying complete unity in a diversity of material and spiritual manifestations. He is separate from everything, and still nothing is different from Him.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
From the Lord the universe was born. The Lord, possessing elements, senses and guṇas, after entering the universe, surpassed that material universe, and remained in the spiritual world, just as the sun illuminates the universe with its rays while remaining in his planet.
Commentary

The spiritual world of three parts is a display of the cit-śakti. The Supreme Lord is attached to this place. The material world of one part is a display of the māyā-śakti. The Lord is not attached to this place, and merely assists it. From that puruṣa this material realm (aṇḍam virāḍ) was born.

The Lord endowed with matter, senses and guṇas, entering the universal form (dravyam), manifesting it, surpassed it (atyagāt) since he is unattached to it. This means, having gone there, he still remains eternally in his spiritual abode of three parts. An example is given. He is like the sun, which, situated in its globe, illuminates the universe.

The cosmic form is generated from Him, but He stays as separate as the sun is from its rays. He acts through energies without being entangled. The universal form is not His original form; Śyāmasundara is.
Reflection Questions
  • Do I confuse the cosmic display with the Person behind it?
  • How can I act through my energies today without losing myself in the result?
📝 My note

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