SB 11.28.19
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Please note: The synonyms, translation and purport of this verse were composed by disciples of Śrīla Prabhupāda
TEXT 19
- yathā hiraṇyaṁ sv-akṛtaṁ purastāt
- paścāc ca sarvasya hiraṇ-mayasya
- tad eva madhye vyavahāryamāṇaṁ
- nānāpadeśair aham asya tadvat
SYNONYMS
yathā — just as; hiraṇyam — gold; su-akṛtam — unmanifest as manufactured products; purastāt — previously; paścāt — subsequently; ca — and; sarvasya — of everything; hiraṇ-mayasya — that is made of gold; tat — that gold; eva — alone; madhye — in the middle; vyavahāryamāṇam — being utilized; nānā — various; apadeśaiḥ — in terms of designations; aham — I; asya — of this created universe; tadvat — in the same way.
Translation and purport composed by disciples of Śrīla Prabhupāda
TRANSLATION
Gold alone is present before its manufacture into gold products, the gold alone remains after the products' destruction, and the gold alone is the essential reality while it is being utilized under various designations. Similarly, I alone exist before the creation of this universe, after its destruction and during its maintenance.
PURPORT
Gold is manufactured into many types of jewelry, as well as into coins and other luxurious products. But at each stage—before manufacture, during manufacture, during utilization and afterward—the essential reality is gold. In the same way, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the essential reality—both the dynamic and the ingredient cause of everything. All throughout the material creation, the Lord is simply setting into motion His own potency, which is not different from Him.