SB 11.28.26 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

यथा नभो वाय्वनलाम्बुभूगुणै- र्गतागतैर्वर्तुगुणैर्न सज्जते । तथाक्षरं सत्त्वरजस्तमोमलै- रहंमते: संसृतिहेतुभि: परम् ॥ २६ ॥

Verse text

yathā nabho vāyv-analāmbu-bhū-guṇair gatāgatair vartu-guṇair na sajjate tathākṣaraṁ sattva-rajas-tamo-malair ahaṁ-mateḥ saṁsṛti-hetubhiḥ param

Synonyms

yathā — just as ; nabhaḥ — the sky ; vāyu — of air ; anala — fire ; ambu — water ; bhū — and earth ; guṇaiḥ — by the qualities ; gata — āgataiḥ — which come and go ; vā — or ; ṛtu — guṇaiḥ — by the qualities of the seasons (such as heat and cold) ; na sajjate — is not entangled ; tathā — similarly ; akṣaram — the Absolute Truth ; sattva — rajaḥ — tamaḥ — of the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance ; malaiḥ — by the contaminations ; aham — mateḥ — of the conception of false ego ; saṁsṛti — hetubhiḥ — by the causes of material existence ; param — the Supreme .

Translation

The sky may display the various qualities of the air, fire, water and earth that pass through it, as well as such qualities as heat and cold, which continually come and go with the seasons. Yet the sky is never entangled with any of these qualities. Similarly, the Supreme Absolute Truth is never entangled with the contaminations of goodness, passion and ignorance, which cause the material transformations of the false ego.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Just as the sky is not affected by the coming and going of the qualities of air, fire, water and earth, or by the seasons, so Brahman is not affected by ahaṅkāra or by contamination of sattva, rajas or tamas, the causes of material existence. The jīva-mukta becomes Brahman. There is no good or bad in him at that time. An example is given. The sky is not affected by the elements, which desiccate, heat, moisten or contaminate with dust and then disappear, or by the season which create heat and cold. Similarly Brahman is not affected by ahaṅkāra, or contamination of the gunās which cause saṁsāra.

Purport

The word ahaṁ-mateḥ here indicates the conditioned living entity, who becomes manifest with the false ego of a particular material body. By contrast, the Personality of Godhead is unaffected by the modes of nature, and thus He is never covered by a material body and never subject to false ego. As described here, the Lord is eternally infallible and pure.