Devanagari
तामसो भूतसूक्ष्मादिर्यत: खं लिङ्गमात्मन: ॥ ३२ ॥
Verse text
tāmaso bhūta-sūkṣmādir
yataḥ khaṁ liṅgam ātmanaḥ
Synonyms
tāmasaḥ
—
from the mode of ignorance
;
bhūta
—
sūkṣma — ādiḥ — subtle sense objects
;
yataḥ
—
from which
;
kham
—
the sky
;
liṅgam
—
symbolic representation
;
ātmanaḥ
—
of the Supreme Soul .
Translation
The sky is a product of sound, and sound is the transformation of egoistic ignorance. In other words, the sky is the symbolic representation of the Supreme Soul.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
From ahaṅkāra in tamas arose the sense objects starting with sound, pervaded by the Lord, from which ether arose.
Ahaṅkāra in tamas is the cause (ādi) of the sense objects such as sound, from which arose ether (kham), [Note: The gross elements are the adhibhūta aspect or kārya.] which is a form of the Supreme Lord (ātmanaḥ), since it reveals the Lord through sound describing his qualities. Or another meaning is “From sound, which is a form of the Lord (atmanaḥ) arose the form of ether. Being an effect of the Lord, sound is called ātmā, for the śruti says tasmād vā etasmād ātmanaḥ ākāśaḥ sambhutaḥ: the ether arose from the Lord, who pervades sound (ātmanaḥ). (Taittirīya Upaniṣad 2.1)
Purport
In the Vedic hymns it is said,
etasmād ātmanaḥ ākāśaḥ sambhūtaḥ.
The sky is the symbolic representation of the Supreme Soul. Those who are egoistic in passion and ignorance cannot conceive of the Personality of Godhead. For them the sky is the symbolic representation of the Supreme Soul.