yasya brahmādayo devā
yasya brahmādayo devā
vedā lokāś carācarāḥ
nāma-rūpa-vibhedena
phalgvyā ca kalayā kṛtāḥ
yathārciṣo 'gneḥ savitur gabhastayo
niryānti saṁyānty asakṛt sva-rociṣaḥ
tathā yato 'yaṁ guṇa-sampravāho
buddhir manaḥ khāni śarīra-sargāḥ
sa vai na devāsura-martya-tiryaṅ
na strī na ṣaṇḍho na pumān na jantuḥ
nāyaṁ guṇaḥ karma na san na cāsan
niṣedha-śeṣo jayatād aśeṣaḥ
Brahmā and other devatās, the actions mentioned in Vedas, the planets, the moving beings and non-moving beings, as lesser expansions of the Lord, are created with different forms and names by the Lord.
Just as the sparks emanate repeatedly from fire or brilliant rays emanate from the sun, and then merge into the fire or sun again, so intelligence, mind, senses and body are created by the Lord as transformations of the guṇas and then merge into him.
The Lord is not a devatā, demon, human, animal, female, neuter, male or any other living being. He is not the guṇas or karma. He remains after everything is negated. May the unlimited Lord remain glorious!
Three verses describe the perfect nature of the Lord. There are two types of expansions of the Lord: minor and major. Minor forms are jīvas like Brahmā, Śiva and others (when they are not the Supreme Lord personally). Major expansions are Matsya, Kūrma and others who are always the Supreme Lord. All of these are the Lord. The actions mentioned in the Vedas are created by the Lord. Veda here means actions, since the Vedas themselves are not minor expansions of the Lord. But rather arise directly from his breathing. The meaning of the first verse is made clear by an example in the second verse. Śruti says yathāgneḥ kṣudrā visphuliṅgā vyuccaranti: the jīvas are like sparks wandering from a fire. (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 2.1.20) In that manner, the coverings on the jīvas are created as separate minor expansions-- from the Lord arises the transformation of the guṇas in the form of intelligence, mind, senses and body. Since the Lord is the cause of everything, he is not one among the devatās. Jantuḥ refers to a living entity which is not male, female or neuter. When all things are negated, he alone remains (niṣesha-śeṣaḥ). He is unlimited because of the unlimited effects of his śakti.
|| 8.3.25 ||
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