Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.22.7
పరస్పరానుప్రవేశాత్ తత్త్వానాం పురుషర్షభ ।
పౌర్వాపర్యప్రసఙ్ఖ్యానం యథా వక్తుర్వివక్షితమ్ ॥ ౭ ॥
parasparānupraveśāt
[parasparaanupraveshaat]
tattvānāṁ puruṣarṣabha
[tattvaanaam purusharshabha]
paurvāparya-prasaṅkhyānaṁ
[paurvaaparya-prasankhyaanam]
yathā vaktur vivakṣitam
[yathaa vaktur vivakshitam]
Word-for-word
paraspara
—
mutual
anupraveśāt
—
because of the entrance (as subtle causes within gross manifestations, and vice versa)
tattvānām
—
of the various elements
puruṣa-ṛṣabha
—
O best among men (Uddhava)
paurva
—
in terms of prior causes
aparya
—
or of resultant products
prasaṅkhyānam
—
enumeration
yathā
—
however
vaktuḥ
—
the speaker
vivakṣitam
—
wants to describe.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
parasparānupraveśāt
paraspara
mutual
anupraveśāt
because of the entrance (as subtle causes within gross manifestations, and vice versa)
tattvānāṁ puruṣarṣabha
tattvānām
of the various elements
puruṣa-ṛṣabha
O best among men (Uddhava)
paurvāparya-prasaṅkhyānaṁ
paurva
in terms of prior causes
aparya
or of resultant products
prasaṅkhyānam
enumeration
yathā vaktur vivakṣitam
yathā
however
vaktuḥ
the speaker
vivakṣitam
wants to describe.
O best among men, because subtle and gross elements mutually enter into one another, philosophers may calculate the number of basic material elements in different ways, according to their personal desire.
Purport
Material creation takes place as a chain reaction in which subtle elements expand and transform into progressively denser elements. Since a cause is in a sense present within its effect, and the effect is subtly present within the cause, all subtle and gross elements have entered within one another. Thus one may categorize basic material elements in many different ways, assigning various numbers and names according to one’s methodology. Although material philosophers proudly assume their individual theories to be supreme, they are all speculating according to their personal proclivities, as described in this and the following verse.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
O best among men! Because subtle and gross elements mutually enter into one another, philosophers may desire to calculate the number of elements in terms of causes or effects according to their personal desire and thus arrive at different totals.
The statement of verse 4 that the elements are included in other elements is explained further in two verses. Because the elements enter each other they may be counted in their previous or later condition. Some say that the effects are in the cause, so they count the cause, the previous elements. Others say that the cause is in the effect, so they count the effect, the later elements. There will thus be either less or more elements in counting. Paurvāparya-prasaṅkhyānam is a dvandva compound in the singular. “Why do we have to speak of entering into causes or effects? Why have less or more elements?” They have various opinions according to their desire to speak.
Related lectures
My note
Source: vedabase.io