SB 2.4.9

SB 2.4.9

Devanagari

यथा गुणांस्तु प्रकृतेर्युगपत् क्रमशोऽपि वा । बिभर्ति भूरिशस्त्वेक: कुर्वन् कर्माणि जन्मभि: ॥ ९ ॥

Verse text

yathā guṇāṁs tu prakṛter yugapat kramaśo ’pi vā bibharti bhūriśas tv ekaḥ kurvan karmāṇi janmabhiḥ

Synonyms

yathā as they are ; guṇān the modes of ; tu but ; prakṛteḥ of the material energy ; yugapat simultaneously ; kramaśaḥ gradually ; api also ; either ; bibharti maintains ; bhūriśaḥ many forms ; tu but ; ekaḥ the supreme one ; kurvan acting ; karmāṇi activities ; janmabhiḥ by incarnations .

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is one, whether He alone acts with the modes of material nature, or simultaneously expands in many forms, or expands consecutively to direct the modes of nature.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Just as the Lord, while performing activities of creation and destruction, supports the guṇas of prakṛti all at once as one puruṣa, he also supports the guṇas through many forms of devatās. Does he do this gradually in sequence?

Commentary (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Just as the Lord, as one, as the puruṣa, supports the guṇas of prākṛti at one time, or, without being contaminated, as one puruṣa, activates the guṇas with his glance and maintain them, he also maintains the guṇas as many (bhūriśaḥ), by the appearance (janmabhiḥ) of Brahmā, Marīci and others. Does he do this gradually in sequence? How does he support the gūnas? He performs activities of creation.