Devanagari
भूतानां नभ आदीनां यद्यद्भव्यावरावरम् ।
तेषां परानुसंसर्गाद्यथासंख्यं गुणान् विदु: ॥ ३७ ॥
Verse text
bhūtānāṁ nabha-ādīnāṁ
yad yad bhavyāvarāvaram
teṣāṁ parānusaṁsargād
yathā saṅkhyaṁ guṇān viduḥ
Synonyms
bhūtānām
—
of all the physical elements
;
nabhaḥ
—
the sky
;
ādīnām
—
beginning from
;
yat
—
as
;
yat
—
and as
;
bhavya
—
O gentle one
;
avara
—
inferior
;
varam
—
superior
;
teṣām
—
all of them
;
para
—
the Supreme
;
anusaṁsargāt
—
last touch
;
yathā
—
as many
;
saṅkhyam
—
number
;
guṇān
—
qualities
;
viduḥ
—
you may understand .
Translation
O gentle one, of all the physical elements, beginning from the sky down to the earth, all the inferior and superior qualities are due only to the final touch of the glance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
O Vidura! One should know that the qualities of each element starting with ether increase successively as they progress towards the inferior, combining with the qualities of the superior elements.
O Vidura (bhavya)! Another version has bhāvya, which means the effects, elements such as ether. Among the respectively lower elements starting with ether and then air, the effects, from successive combination with the superior causes, one should know the qualities (tan-mātras) are repeatedly found (yathā saṅkhyam). Ether is the cause of air. It has two qualities sound and touch, being endowed with the previous cause (ether). Light has two causes—ether and air. Combined with those causes, it has three qualities—form, touch and sound. Similarly water has four qualities and earth has five qualities.