FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 8.7.24

त्वं ब्रह्म परमं गुह्यं सदसद्भ‍ावभावनम् । नानाशक्तिभिराभातस्त्वमात्मा जगदीश्वर: ॥ २४ ॥
tvaṁ brahma paramaṁ guhyaṁ
[tvam brahma paramam guhyam]
sad-asad-bhāva-bhāvanam
[sad-asad-bhaava-bhaavanam]
nānā-śaktibhir ābhātas
[naanaa-shaktibhir aabhaatas]
tvam ātmā jagad-īśvaraḥ
[tvam aatmaa jagad-eeshvarah]
tvam — Your Lordship brahma — impersonal Brahman paramam — supreme guhyam — confidential sat-asat-bhāva-bhāvanam — the cause of varieties of creation, its cause and effect nānā-śaktibhiḥ — with varieties of potencies ābhātaḥ — manifest tvam — you are ātmā — the Supersoul jagat-īśvaraḥ — the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tvaṁ brahma paramaṁ guhyaṁ
tvam
Your Lordship
brahma
impersonal Brahman
paramam
supreme
guhyam
confidential
sad-asad-bhāva-bhāvanam
sat-asat-bhāva-bhāvanam
the cause of varieties of creation, its cause and effect
nānā-śaktibhiḥ
with varieties of potencies
nānā-śaktibhir ābhātas
ābhātaḥ
manifest
tvam ātmā jagad-īśvaraḥ
tvam
you are
ātmā
the Supersoul
jagat-īśvaraḥ
the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
You are the cause of all causes, the self-effulgent, inconceivable, impersonal Brahman, which is originally Parabrahman. You manifest various potencies in this cosmic manifestation.

This prayer is offered to the impersonal Brahman, which consists of the effulgent rays of Parabrahman. Parabrahman is the Supreme Personality of Godhead ( paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān ). When Lord Śiva is worshiped as Parabrahman, the worship is meant for Lord Viṣṇu.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
You are the Supreme Brahman, difficult to comprehend, the cause of superior and inferior natures. You are Viṣṇu, the Lord of the universe, appearing with various energies. They praise the Lord’s impersonal form as Brahman. you create the living beings with superior and inferior natures such as devatās and demons (sad-asad-bhāva-bhāvanam). They praise him as Viṣṇu: you appear with various energies.
He is the cause of all causes — the self-effulgent Brahman whose rays themselves come from Parabrahman. Even our most abstract conceptions of the Divine are downstream of His personal reality. The impersonal is not above the personal; it is His shine.
Reflection Questions
  • Do I prefer the impersonal Brahman because it makes fewer demands than the Personal?
  • What would it cost me to admit the formless I worship is the radiance of a Form?
📝 My note

← Read full Chapter 7