अद्वैतमच्युतमनादिमनन्तरूप-
माद्यं पुराणपुरुषं नवयौवनं च ।
वेदेषु दुर्लभमदुर्लभमात्मभक्तौ
गोविन्दमादिपुरुषं तमहं भजामि ॥
advaitam acyutam anādim ananta‑rūpam
ādyaṁ purāṇa‑puruṣaṁ nava‑yauvanaṁ ca |
vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma‑bhaktau
govindam ādi‑puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi ||
(Brahma-saṁhitā: 5.33)
“Incomparable,
Undiminishing,
Without beginning,
Infinite in form,
Original,
Prior to the Puruṣa,
Also ever-youthful,
Difficult to understand in the Vedas,
And not difficult to understand
Through bhakti from the heart—
I worship him,
Govinda,
The Original Puruṣa.”
Commentary
nanu tasyātulyatve kim iti svārthaḥ, kathaṁ vātulyatvam? nija-bhaktebhya ātmano dehasyāpi pradānāt | kiṁ vāvaśiṣyata ity āha acyutam iti | nija-bhaktebhya ātma-pradānādināpi na vidyate cyutir yasya, sadaiva eka-rasam ity arthaḥ | tarhi kiṁ nārāyaṇaṁ stauṣi? tasyaivācyutatvād anādeś ca nety āha anādim iti na vidyate ādir yasya yasmād vā, sarveṣāṁ parama-kāraṇaṁ svayaṁ tu sva-prakāśaṁ kāraṇa-śūnyam ity arthaḥ | nanv ekena kathaṁ sarveṣāṁ paripālanaṁ ghaṭata ity ata āha ananteti | anantaṁ rūpaṁ yasya, athavā prapañca-gatatvena nāsty anto yasya, athavā anantasya rūpaṁ svarūpaṁ yas tam, yasmād evāṁśenānantādīnām utpattiḥ | nanu nārāyaṇād evānantādi-prākaṭya-prasiddhir ity āha ādyaṁ yasya vilāsa-rūpo nārāyaṇas tam | nanu jñātaṁ tasyaiva puruṣākhyānaṁ, nety āha purāṇeti yasya vilāsa-vapuḥ puruṣākhyas tam | nanv āyātaṁ tasya vṛddhatvam ity āha nava-yauvanam iti kaiśoram ity arthaḥ | ca-kārāt ya eva purātanaḥ sa eva kiśora-vayā ity anirvacanatvaṁ nityatvaṁ ca | nanu vedeṣu nārāyaṇa eva gīyate ity āha | vedeṣv iti vedais tattvaṁ jñāyate cet teṣu sulabham ity arthaḥ | bhaktiṁ vinā na jñāyate ity āha—adurlabham iti |
(Excerpt from Jīva Gosvāmī’s Brahma-saṁhitā-ṭīkā)
“[A question is raised:] ‘Well, in regard to his being [said to be] incomparable (advaita), what is the inherent meaning?’ Or, [the question is raised:] ‘How does he have [the quality of] incomparability?’ [In response, Brahmā says] Because of [his] giving even his own body to his bhaktas.
“[A follow-up question is raised:] ‘How does anything remain? [i.e., if he gives even his own body to his bhaktas, then how does he continue to exist?]’ Thus, Brahmā says [he is] ‘undiminishing’ (acyutam), meaning, he of whom there is no diminishing (cyuti) even by [his] giving himself and so forth to his bhaktas, that is, he who is verily forever constituted of one [undimishing] substance.
“‘Then are you praising Nārāyaṇa [rather than Kṛṣṇa], because only he [i.e., Nārāyaṇa] has the qualities of being undiminishing and without beginning?’ No. Thus, Brahmā says, ‘without beginning’ (anādim), meaning [Kṛṣṇa is] he of whom or because of whom there is no beginning, meaning, he who is himself the ultimate cause of everything yet self-manifest and without cause.
“‘Well, how is the protection of all occasioned by [only] one [i.e., how can he, Kṛṣṇa, alone protect all living beings]?’ Thus, he says ‘infinite in form’ (ananta-rūpam), meaning, [Kṛṣṇa is] he whose form is infinite (ananta), or, he who has no (an) end (anta) [just] because of [his] entering the material world, or, he who is the essential nature of the infinite (ananta), or, he by just of a portion of whom the emergence of infinity and all else occurs.
“‘Well, there is establishment [alt., scriptural evidence] of the manifestation of infinity and so on only from Nārāyaṇa.’ Thus, Brahmā says ‘original’ (ādyam), meaning, he of whom Nārāyaṇa is a form for sport (vilāsa) [i.e., it is Kṛṣṇa who is original; Nārāyaṇa is an expansion of Kṛṣṇa].
“‘Well, declaration only of his [i.e., Nārāyaṇa’s] being the Puruṣa is known.’ No. Thus, Brahmā says ‘prior to the Puruṣa’ (purāṇa-Puruṣam), meaning, [Kṛṣṇa is] he whose form for sport (vilāsa) is known as the Puruṣa [i.e., the Puruṣa is not original; Kṛṣṇa, who is the fundamental source of the Puruṣa, is original].
“‘Well, his agedness has arisen [i.e., if that is the case, then Kṛṣṇa must be very old, which is not a desirable attribute].’ Thus, Brahmā says ‘ever-youthful’ (nava-yauvanam), meaning, [Kṛṣṇa is an] adolescent. From the word ‘also’ (ca), [it is further understood that Kṛṣṇa is] he who is verily primeval is verily adolescent in age. Thus, his ineffability and eternality [are also understood].
“Well, only Nārāyaṇa is sung of in the Vedas.’ Thus, Brahmā says ‘difficult to understand in Vedas’ (Vedeṣu durlabham), meaning, [Kṛṣṇa is] he who is easy to understand in the Vedas if the reality is known by means of the Vedas [i.e., if one is able to grasp the reality taught by the Vedas].
“‘That reality is not known without bhakti.’ [True.] Thus, Brahmā says ‘not difficult to understand through bhakti from the heart’ (adurlabham ātma-bhaktau) [meaning, Kṛṣṇa is not difficult to understand if one has one-pointed bhakti for him].”
Śrī Jīvapāda also refers to Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.14.21 and 10.14.5 elsewhere in this commentary to illustrate what is referred to by ‘through bhakti from the heart’ (adurlabham ātma-bhaktau—‘bhaktyāham ekayā grāhyaḥ’ ity ekādaśāt, ‘pureha bhūman’ ity ādi śrī-daśamāc ca).