FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.22.29

निमित्ते सति सर्वत्र जलादावपि पूरुष: । आत्मनश्च परस्यापि भिदां पश्यति नान्यदा ॥ २९ ॥
nimitte sati sarvatra
[nimitte sati sarvatra]
jalādāv api pūruṣaḥ
[jalaadaav api poorushah]
ātmanaś ca parasyāpi
[aatmanash cha parasyaapi]
bhidāṁ paśyati nānyadā
[bhidaam pashyati naanyadaa]
Word-for-word
nimitte — on account of causes sati — being sarvatra — everywhere jala-ādau api — water and other reflecting media pūruṣaḥ — the person ātmanaḥ — oneself ca — and parasya api — another’s self bhidām — differentiation paśyati — sees na anyadā — there is no other reason.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
nimitte sati sarvatra
nimitte
on account of causes
sati
being
sarvatra
everywhere
jalādāv api pūruṣaḥ
jala-ādau api
water and other reflecting media
pūruṣaḥ
the person
ātmanaś ca parasyāpi
ātmanaḥ
oneself
ca
and
parasya api
another’s self
bhidāṁ paśyati nānyadā
bhidām
differentiation
paśyati
sees
na anyadā
there is no other reason.
Only because of different causes does a person see a difference between himself and others, just as one sees the reflection of a body appearing differently manifested on water, on oil or in a mirror.
Purport

The spirit soul is one, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is manifested in svāṁśa and vibhinnāṁśa expansions. The jīvas are vibhinnāṁśa expansions; the different incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are svāṁśa expansions. Thus there are different potencies of the Supreme Lord, and there are different expansions of the different potencies. In this way, for different reasons there are different expansions of the same one principle, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This understanding is real knowledge, but when the living entity is covered by the upādhi, or designated body, he sees differences, exactly as one sees differences in reflections of oneself on water, on oil or in a mirror. When something is reflected on the water, it appears to be moving. When it is reflected on ice, it appears fixed. When it is reflected on oil, it appears hazy. The subject is one, but under different conditions it appears differently. When the qualifying factor is taken away, the whole appears to be one. In other words, when one comes to the paramahaṁsa or perfectional stage of life by practicing bhakti-yoga, he sees only Kṛṣṇa everywhere. For him there is no other objective.

In conclusion, due to different causes, the living entity is visible in different forms as an animal, human being, demigod, tree, etc. Actually every living entity is the marginal potency of the Supreme Lord. In Bhagavad-gītā (5.18) , therefore, it is explained that one who actually sees the spirit soul does not distinguish between a learned brāhmaṇa and a dog, an elephant or a cow. Paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ: one who is actually learned sees only the living entity, not the outward covering. Differentiation is therefore the result of different karma, or fruitive activities, and when we stop fruitive activities, turning them into acts of devotion, we can understand that we are not different from anyone else, regardless of the form. This is only possible in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In this movement there are many different races of men from all parts of the world participating, but because they think of themselves as servants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they do not differentiate between black and white, yellow and red. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is therefore the only means to make the living entities free of all designations.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
In the presence of substances with different qualities like water, a mirror or the eye, a person sees differences in the bodies of himself and others. This is not so when that subtle body is absent. When the subtle body is present, there is imposition of the qualities of the subtle body on the jīva. The subtle body gives rise to bodies of men, devatās and animals through the influence of karma. But this does not take place in the absence of the subtle body. An example is given. Using different mediums such as water, oil, a mirror or the eye, a person sees himself and others differently, corresponding to an average, good or poor medium. Just as one sees an image of onseself or others with distorted ripples in water, flawlessly in a mirror, or with contamination in the eye, one sees good and bad in the bodies of men, good only in the bodies of devatās and bad only in the bodies of animals (because of subtle bodies). But when the subtle body is destroyed by jñāna, one does not see like that. One sees Paramātmā alone. But when the subtle body is destroyed by bhakti, the pure jīva attain a body of pure knowledge and bliss by the power of rati. He then tastes the beauty of the Lord with a body of knowledge, bliss, powers and sweetness, such as Rāma and Kṛṣṇa, by his eyes and other senses. That is the principle result for the devotee. That is understood from a previous statement: evaṁ tadaiva bhagavān aravinda-nābhaḥ svānāṁ vibudhya sad-atikramam ārya-hṛdyaḥ tasmin yayau paramahaṁsa-mahā-munīnām anveṣaṇīya-caraṇau calayan saha-śrīḥ At that moment, the Lord, with lotus navel, who appears within the hearts of the deserving, understanding that his servants had offended the Kumāras, came to the seventh gate with Lakṣmī, moving his feet which should be sought by the great renounced sages. SB 3.15.37
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Difference between self and others is like a body's reflection on water, oil, mirror — different by causes, not by substance. Apparent multiplicity often comes from reflective media, not from genuine separation.
Reflection Questions
  • Which difference in my relationships is actually about the media (mood, context), not the souls?
  • Where could I see past reflection-variability to the unity beneath?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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