Devanagari
यस्मिन्विरुद्धगतयो ह्यनिशं पतन्ति
विद्यादयो विविधशक्तय आनुपूर्व्यात् ।
तद्ब्रह्म विश्वभवमेकमनन्तमाद्य-
मानन्दमात्रमविकारमहं प्रपद्ये ॥ १६ ॥
Verse text
yasmin viruddha-gatayo hy aniśaṁ patanti
vidyādayo vividha-śaktaya ānupūrvyāt
tad brahma viśva-bhavam ekam anantam ādyam
ānanda-mātram avikāram ahaṁ prapadye
Synonyms
yasmin
—
in whom
;
viruddha
—
gatayaḥ — of opposite character
;
hi
—
certainly
;
aniśam
—
always
;
patanti
—
are manifest
;
vidyā
—
ādayaḥ — knowledge and ignorance, etc.
;
vividha
—
various
;
śaktayaḥ
—
energies
;
ānupūrvyāt
—
continually
;
tat
—
that
;
brahma
—
Brahman
;
viśva
—
bhavam — the cause of material creation
;
ekam
—
one
;
anantam
—
unlimited
;
ādyam
—
original
;
ānanda
—
mātram — simply blissful
;
avikāram
—
changeless
;
aham
—
I
;
prapadye
—
offer my obeisances .
Translation
My dear Lord, in Your impersonal manifestation of Brahman there are always two opposing elements — knowledge and ignorance. Your multi-energies are continually manifest, but the impersonal Brahman, which is undivided, original, changeless, unlimited and blissful, is the cause of the material manifestation. Because You are the same impersonal Brahman, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
I surrender to the one infinite, original Brahman, bliss alone, unchanging, the cause of the universe, within which are always seen successively various energies such as vidyā, having contrary natures.
Having described the personal form of the Lord, Dhruva now describes the impersonal Brahman. I surrender to the unchangeable, bliss alone, the Brahman which is the greatness of the Lord, manifested by bhakti-miśra-jṣāna to those absorbed in śānta alone, situated far from the Lord, who are incapable of accepting the various qualities of the eternally conscious Lord. Though appearing to have no śaktis, within the Brahman are always (aniśam) seen successively (ānupūrvyāt) various śaktis such as vidyā (knowledge). According to the amount of bhakti, the person will be close to the Lord. For those having a small amount of bhakti through bhakti-miśra-jṣāna, who cannot realize the variety of qualities in the Lord, you appear first as ātmā possessing vidyā-śakti. You appear as the puruṣa possessing māyā-śakti, the cause of the universe (viśva-bhavam), to those with a little more bhakti. Seeing with complete bhakti, one realizes Bhagavān, possessing unlimited śaktis, having all powers and sweetness. One who enters deeply in the Lord realizes the Lord as the ocean of grace, surprise, arts, beauty and pastimes.
Persons situated far from a town cannot understand all the details of the town. They see only an object in front. If they are somewhat closer to the town, they see trees. If they approach near the town, they see it is a town with groves, towers, gates, houses, and flags. On entering the town, they realize it is a place for enjoying with colorful ponds, roads, markets, intersections, arenas, dancing, singing and instrumental music.
The ancient have said:
cayas tviṣām ity avadhāritaṁ purā tataḥ śarīrīti vibhavitākrṭim
vibhūr vibhaktāvayaṁ pumān iti kramād amuṁ nārada ity abodhi saḥ
Nārada realized Kṛṣṇa as a mass of light and then realized that it was a form with a body. Then he recognized various limbs and understood that this was a man. Śiśupāla-vadha 1.3
What are these śaktis? They are contrary in nature. Though there are opposites such as knowledge and ignorance, creation and destruction, being born and not being born, being inactive and full of pastimes, being neutral ātmārāma and being affectionate to the devotees, they are inconceivable energies, eternally situated in you.
Purport
In the
Brahma-saṁhitā
it is said that the unlimited impersonal Brahman is the effulgence of the transcendental body of Govinda. In that unlimited effulgent aura of the Supreme Personality of Godhead there are innumerable universes with innumerable planets of different categories. Although the Supreme Person is the original cause of all causes, His impersonal effulgence, known as Brahman, is the immediate cause of the material manifestation. Dhruva Mahārāja therefore offered his respectful obeisances unto the impersonal feature of the Lord. One who realizes this impersonal feature can enjoy the unchangeable
brahmānanda,
described here as spiritual bliss.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura describes that this impersonal feature, or Brahman manifestation, of the Supreme Lord is meant for persons who are essentially very advanced but still not able to understand the personal features or variegatedness of the spiritual world. Such devotees are known as
jṣāna-miśra-bhaktas,
or devotees whose devotional service is mixed with empiric knowledge. Because the impersonal Brahman realization is a partial understanding of the Absolute Truth, Dhruva Mahārāja offers his respectful obeisances.
It is said that this impersonal Brahman is the distant realization of the Absolute Truth. Although apparently Brahman seems to be devoid of energy, factually it has different energies working under the headings of knowledge and ignorance. On account of these different energies, there is continually a manifestation of
vidyā
and
avidyā.
Vidyā
and
avidyā
are very nicely described in
Īśopaniṣad.
It is said there that sometimes, due to
avidyā,
or a poor fund of knowledge, one accepts the Absolute Truth as ultimately impersonal. But in fact the impersonal and personal realizations develop in proportion to the development of devotional service. The more we develop our devotional service, the more closely we approach the Absolute Truth, which, in the beginning, when we realize the Absolute Truth from a distant place, is manifest as impersonal.
People in general, who are under the influence of
avidyā-śakti,
or
māyā,
have neither knowledge nor devotion. But when a person who is a little advanced and is therefore called a
jṣānī
advances even more, he is in the category of a
jṣāna-miśra-bhakta,
or a devotee whose love is mixed with empiric knowledge. When he is still further advanced, he can realize that the Absolute Truth is a person with multi-energies. An advanced devotee can understand the Lord and His creative energy. As soon as one accepts the creative energy of the Absolute Truth, the six opulences of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are also understood. Devotees who are still further advanced, in full knowledge, can understand the transcendental pastimes of the Lord. Only on that platform can one fully enjoy transcendental bliss. An example is given in this connection by Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura of a person proceeding towards a destination. As he approaches, he sees the destination from a distant place, just as we see a city from a distance. At that time he simply understands that the city is situated at a distance. When he comes still nearer, however, he sees the domes and flags. But as soon as he enters the city, he sees various paths, gardens, lakes, marketplaces with shops, and persons buying. He sees varieties of cinema houses, and he sees dancing and jubilation. When a person actually enters the city and personally sees the activities of the city, he becomes satisfied.