Canto 11: General HistoryChapter 16: The Lord's Opulence

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.16.37

pṛthivī vāyur ākāśa

āpo jyotir ahaḿ mahān

vikāraḥ puruṣo 'vyaktaḿ

rajaḥ sattvaḿ tamaḥ param

aham etat prasańkhyānaḿ

jñānaḿ tattva-viniścayaḥ

SYNONYMS

pṛthivī — the subtle form of earth, aroma; vāyuḥ — the subtle form of air, touch; ākāśaḥ — the subtle form of sky, sound; āpaḥ — the subtle form of water, taste; jyotiḥ — the subtle form of fire, form; aham — false ego; mahān — the mahat-tattva; vikāraḥ — the sixteen elements (earth, water, fire, air and sky, the five working senses, the five knowledge-acquiring senses and the mind); puruṣaḥ — the living entity; avyaktam — material nature, prakṛti; rajaḥ — the mode of passion; sattvam — the mode of goodness; tamaḥ — the mode of ignorance; param — the Supreme Lord; ahamI am; etat — this; prasańkhyānam — all that has been enumerated; jñānam — knowledge of the above-mentioned elements by individual symptoms; tattva-viniścayaḥ — steady conviction, which is the fruit of knowledge.

TRANSLATION

I am form, taste, aroma, touch and sound; false ego; the mahat-tattva; earth, water, fire, air and sky; the living entity; material nature; the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance; and the transcendental Lord. All these items, along with knowledge of their individual symptoms and the steady conviction that results from this knowledge, represent Me.

PURPORT

Having given a brief but detailed synopsis of His personal opulences within this world, the Lord now briefly summarizes the opulences that expand from His bodily effulgence. It is stated in Brahma-saḿhitā that all of the material universes with their infinite varieties, transformations and opulences rest on the bodily effulgence of the Lord. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has elaborately explained this point in his commentary on this verse.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
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