FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.15.57

आदावन्ते जनानां सद् बहिरन्त: परावरम् । ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं वचो वाच्यं तमो ज्योतिस्त्वयं स्वयम् ॥ ५७ ॥
ādāv ante janānāṁ sad
[aadaav ante janaanaam sad]
bahir antaḥ parāvaram
[bahir antah paraavaram]
jñānaṁ jñeyaṁ vaco vācyaṁ
[jnaanam jneyam vacho vaachyam]
tamo jyotis tv ayaṁ svayam
[tamo jyotis tv ayam svayam]
Word-for-word
ādau — in the beginning ante — at the end janānām — of all living entities sat — always existing bahiḥ — externally antaḥ — internally para — transcendental avaram — material jñānam — knowledge jñeyam — the objective vacaḥ — expression vācyam — the ultimate object tamaḥ — darkness jyotiḥ — light tu — indeed ayam — this one (the Supreme Lord) svayam — Himself.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
ādāv ante janānāṁ sad
ādau
in the beginning
ante
at the end
janānām
of all living entities
sat
always existing
bahir antaḥ parāvaram
bahiḥ
externally
antaḥ
internally
para
transcendental
avaram
material
jñānaṁ jñeyaṁ vaco vācyaṁ
jñānam
knowledge
jñeyam
the objective
vacaḥ
expression
vācyam
the ultimate object
tamo jyotis tv ayaṁ svayam
tamaḥ
darkness
jyotiḥ
light
tu
indeed
ayam
this one (the Supreme Lord)
svayam
Himself.
He who exists internally and externally, at the beginning and end of everything and of all living beings, as that which is enjoyable and as the enjoyer of everything, superior and inferior, is the Supreme Truth. He always exists as knowledge and the object of knowledge, as expression and the object of understanding, as darkness and as light. Thus He, the Supreme Lord, is everything.
Purport

Here the Vedic aphorism sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma is explained. It is also explained in the catuḥ-ślokī Bhāgavatam. Aham evāsam evāgre. The Supreme Lord existed in the beginning, He exists after the creation and maintains everything, and after destruction everything merges in Him, as stated in Bhagavad-gītā ( prakṛtiṁ yānti māmikām ). Thus the Supreme Lord is actually everything. In the conditioned state, we are bewildered in our understanding, but in the perfect stage of liberation we can understand that Kṛṣṇa is the cause of everything.

īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam

“Kṛṣṇa, who is known as Govinda, is the supreme controller. He has an eternal, blissful, spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin, for He is the prime cause of all causes.” ( Brahma-saṁhitā 5.1 ) This is the perfection of knowledge.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Brahman is what exists in the beginning and in the end. It is external objects and the jīva. It is superior and inferior objects. It is the senses, the sense objects and objects expressed by words. Brahman is the jīva in ignorance and in knowledge. Everything is Brahman in that state. By thinking in this way, one avoids illusion. That which exists in the beginning as the cause and at the end as the destroyer is Brahman (svayam). Brahman is the external objects of enjoyment made of māyā and the internal enjoyer, the jīvas. Brahman is superior and inferior things. It is the senses (jñānam), and the sense objects (jñeyam), and objects expressed by words. Brahman is the ignorance of jīvas in tamas and knowledge (jyotiḥ). Thus nothing exists besides Brahman. Thus there is nothing that can cause bewilderment.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
He who exists internally and externally, at beginning and end, as enjoyer and enjoyed, superior and inferior — this is the Supreme Truth, beyond every speculative attempt to grasp Him. The Lord is what every honest analysis converges on.
Reflection Questions
  • Where does your analytical mind try to capture Kṛṣṇa rather than approach Him as a person?
  • What practice helps you meet Him as a Person rather than a concept?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

← Read full Chapter 15