जीवस्वरूपं यद्वस्तु परं ब्रह्म तदेव चेत् ।
तदेव सच्चिदानन्दघनं श्रीभगवांश्च तत् ॥
तथापि जीवतत्त्वानि तस्यांसा एव सन्मताः ।
घनतेजःसमूहस्य तेजोजालं यथा रवेः ॥
jīva-svarūpaṁ yad vastu paraṁ brahma tad eva cet |
tad eva sac-cid-ānanda-ghanaṁ śrī-bhagavāṁś ca tat ||
tathāpi jīva-tattvāni tasyāṁsā eva san-matāḥ |
ghana-tejaḥ-samūhasya tejo-jālaṁ yathā raveḥ ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.2.182–183)
“‘The existent (vastu) the essential nature (svarūpa) of which is [called] the jīva—if that specifically were [considered] Parabrahman, [then] that specifically would be constituted of condensed eternal being, consciousness, and bliss, and would be Śrī Bhagavān [himself].’ Still, the essential nature (tattva) of the jīvas would be considered by the sat only his [i.e., Parabrahman’s] parts (aṁśas) like the multiplicity of the light [i.e., the light particles] of the sun, which is an aggregate of condensed light.”
Commentary
evaṁ saty api ye kecin manyante—sukha-ghanam eva brahma candra-sthānīyaṁ, tad eva śrī-bhagavataḥ svarūpaṁ ‘brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate’ iti vacanāt, tac-caitanyena vyāpinā jyotsnā-sthānīyena jagad bhāsata iti teṣāṁ matam apy anūdya tatrāpi yuktyā muktau sukham alpakam eva sidhyatīty āhuḥ—jīveti saptabhiḥ | tad vastv eva paraṁ brahma, atas taj jīva-svarūpam eva sac-cid-ānanda-ghanam eva, tat jīva-svarūpam eva śrī-bhagavān apīti ced yadi kaiścin mantavyam ity arthaḥ ||182|| tathāpy evaṁ saty api jīvānāṁ tattvāni svarūpāṇi tasya brahmaṇo’ṁśā eva satāṁ parāśarādīnāṁ matāḥ | ghana-śabdena nija-pratiyogi-ghanetarāpekṣakānanda-mātrasyāpi vastunaḥ sūcitatvāt | tad vastv evātma-tattvaṁ veditavyam | tasya ca bahutvaṁ, jīvānāṁ nānātvāpekṣayā | tad eva dṛṣṭāntenopapādayanti—ghanānāṁ sāndrānāṁ tejasāṁ samūho maṇḍalaṁ tad-rūpasya raver yathā tejo-jālam aṁśā eva nānyat, tatheti ||183||
(Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“Even though this is such [i.e., even though only Bhagavān, and not Brahman, is both condensed bliss and a substratum of condensed bliss], some think (1) that Brahman is constituted of condensed bliss and comparable to the moon, (2) that that [i.e., that Brahman] is the original form (svarūpa) of Śrī Bhagavān as per the statement [in SB 1.2.11], ‘[Knowers of the Tattva say that which is non-dual consciousness and] Is called Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān [is the Tattva],’ and (3) that the world is illuminated by the pervading consciousness of that [i.e., of Brahman], which is comparable to moonlight.^ In reply to their view as well, bliss is established with reasoning to verily be meager in mukti. Thus, they [i.e., the personified bhakti-śāstras] speak with seven [verses, beginning with] jīva … [i.e., they speak BB 2.2.182 and so on]. ‘That existent (vastu) [i.e., the jīva] specifically is Parabrahman. Thus, that, the essential nature (svarūpa) of the jīva specifically, is constituted of condensed eternal being, consciousness, and bliss specifically, and that—the essential nature (svarūpa) of the jīva specifically—is also Śrī Bhagavān’—if (cet) this [aforesaid view] should be regarded by some [as plausible] is the meaning [i.e., in this verse a view posited by some regarding the essential nature of the jīva, Brahman, and Bhagavān is described]. ||182|| Still, even if that were so [i.e., even if this aforementioned view were accepted], the essential nature (tattva), that is, svarūpa, of the jīvas would [still] be considered by the sat, that is, by Parāśāra and others, to be only parts (aṁśas) of that Brahman because of an existent the nature of which is just bliss [i.e., non-condensed bliss] being indicated by the word [usage of the word] ‘condensed’ (ghana) [in regard to Parabrahman] based on the expectation of its own counter-part (pratyiyogi), [viz.,] that which is the opposite of condensed [i.e., because there is mention in the śāstras of Parabrahman being constituted of condensed bliss, that itself implies that there so also exists some entity constituted of non-condensed bliss, as otherwise, there would have been no need to state the specification of Parabrahman being constituted of condensed bliss]. That existent (vastu) specifically is to be known as the self-entity (ātma-tattva) [i.e., the jīva]. Its multiplicity (bahutva), furthermore, is because of the jīvas’ [mutual] differentness (nānātva) [from one another, i.e., because jīvas exist as separate, individual entities]. They [i.e., the bhakti-śāstras who are speaking] show this specifically with an illustration: as a multiplicity of the light of the sun, which is an aggregate of condensed light, meaning, [as] a multiplicity of the particles [of the light of the sun,] which is a mass of intense light, are not different [from the sun], so … [i.e., so the jīvas, who are parts (aṁśas) of Parabrahman, are not different from Parabrahman yet also exist as a multiplicity of entities distinct from their source and one another]. ||183||”