SB 1.7.23 (1964)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT No. 23
Twamadya purusha sakshat iswarah prakriteh parah Mayam byudasya chichhaktya kaivalye stitha atmani.
ENGLISH SYNONYMS
Twamadya—You are the Original, Purusha—the personality of enjoyer, Sakshat—directly, Iswarah—the controller, Prakriteh—of the material nature, Parah—transcendental, Mayam—the material energy, Byudasya—one who has thrown aside, Chitchhaktya—by dint of internal potency, Kaivalye—in pure knowledge and bliss eternal, Stitha—placed. Atmani—own self.
TRANSLATION
(Arjuna said further) You are the original Personality of Godhead who expands Himself all over the creations and are transcendental to material energy. You have thrown away effects of material energy by dint of your spiritual potency and you are always situated in eternal bliss and knowledge transcendental.
PURPORT
The statement of the Lord in the Bhagwat Geeta is that one who surrenders unto the lotus feet of the Lord, can get release from the clutches of nescience. Krishna is just like the Sun and Maya or material existence is just like darkness. Wherever there is the light of the Sun the existence of darkness or ignorance is at once vanished. The best means of getting out of the world of ignorance is suggested here. The Lord is addressed herein as the Original Personality of Godhead. From Him all other Personalities of Godhead expands. The all pervasive Lord Vishnu is Lord Krishna's plenary portion or expansion. The Lord expands Himself by innumerable forms of Godhead and living beings along with His different energies. But Sri Krishna is the Original Primeval Lord from Whom everything emanates. All Pervasive feature of the Lord experienced within the manifested world is also a partial representation of the Lord. Paramatma is, therefore, included within Him. He is the Absolute-Personality of Godhead. He has nothing to do with the actions and reactions of the material manifestation because He is far above the material creation. Darkness is a perverse representation of the Sun, therefore, darkness exists on the existence of the Sun but in the sun proper there is no trace of darkness. As the sun is full of-light only similarly the Absolute Personality of Godhead, beyond the material existence, is full of bliss. He is not only full of bliss but also full of transcendental variegatedness. Transcendence is not at all static but He is full of dynamic variegatedness. He is distinct from the material nature complicated by the three modes of material nature. He is Parama or the Chief. Therefore He is Absolute. He has manifold energies and through His diverse energies He creates, manifests, maintains and destroys the material world. In His own abode, however, everything is eternal and absolute. The world is not conducted by the energies or powerful exigencies by themselves but by the Potent all powerful with all energies.