स यदजया त्वजामनुशयीत गुणांश्च जुषन्
भजति सरूपतां तदनु मृत्युमपेतभगः ।
त्वमुत जहासि तामहिरिव त्वचमात्तभगो
महसि महीयसेऽष्टगुणितेऽपरिमेयभगः ॥
sa yad ajayā tv ajām anuśayīta guṇāṁś ca juṣan
bhajati sarūpatāṁ tad anu mṛtyum apeta-bhagaḥ |
tvam uta jahāsi tām ahir iva tvacam ātta-bhago
mahasi mahīyase’ṣṭa-guṇite’parimeya-bhagaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.87.38; cited in Bhagavat Sandarbha: 24; Paramātma Sandarbha: 39)
“Since he [i.e., the jīva], however, can lie down with the unborn [i.e., ignorance (avidyā) on account of the unborn (ajayā) [i.e., māyā], he partakes of the qualities [of the unborn] and thereafter of likeness [to those qualities of the unborn], becomes deprived of fortune (apeta-bhagaḥ), and undergoes death [i.e., saṁsāra]. You, on the contrary, shun her [i.e., the unborn, i.e., māyā], like a serpent [its] skin, and, being possessed of fortune, are exalted in [your own] eightfold greatness, being of immeasurable fortune.”
Commentary
sa tu jīvo yad yasmāt ajayā māyayā ajām avidyām anuśayīta āliṅget | tataś ca guṇāṁś ca dehendriyādīn juṣan sevamānaḥ ātmatayā adhyasyan | tad-anu tad-anantaraṁ sarūpatāṁ tad-dharma-yogaṁ ca juṣan apeta-bhagaḥ pihitānandādi-guṇaḥ san mṛtyuṁ saṁsāraṁ bhajati prāpnoti | tvam uta tvaṁ tu jahāsi tāṁ māyām | nanu sā mayy evāsti kathaṁ tyāgas tatrāha—ahir iva tvacam iti | ayaṁ bhāvaḥ—yathā bhujaṅgaḥ svagatam api kañcukaṁ guṇa-buddhyā nābhimanyate tathā tvam ajāṁ māyām | na hi nirantarāhlāda-saṁvit-kāmadhenu-vṛnda-pater ajayā kṛtyam iti tām upekṣase | kuta etat? tad āha—ātta-bhago nitya-prāptaiśvaryaḥ | mahasi paramaiśvarye aṣṭa-guṇite aṇimādy-aṣṭa-vibhūtimati | mahīyase pūjyase virājase | kathambhūtaḥ? aparimeya-bhagaḥ aparimeyaiśvaryaḥ | na tv anyeṣām iva deśa-kāla-paricchinnaṁ tavāṣṭa-guṇitam aiśvaryam, api tu paripūrṇa-svarūpānubandhitvād aparimitam ity arthaḥ |
(Excerpt from the Bhāvārtha-dīpikā; cited in Bhagavat Sandarbha: 24)
“Since (yat) he (saḥ), however (tu), the jīva, can lie down (anuśayīta) with ‘the unborn’ (ajām), meaning, ignorance (avidyā), on account of ‘the unborn’ (ajayā), meaning, māyā, consequently, furthermore, as he partakes (juṣan) of the ‘qualities’ (guṇān), that is, as he identifies with the body, senses, and so forth being experienced [by him], he thereafter (tad anu) partakes also of likeness (sarūpatām), that is, of connection with their nature [i.e., material nature], he becomes deprived of fortune (apeta-bhagaḥ), that is, [he becomes] one whose qualities of bliss and so forth are covered over, and undergoes (bhajati) death, meaning, saṁsāra. You (tvam), on the contrary (uta), shun (jahāsi) her (tām), meaning, māyā. [Śrī Bhagavān raises an objection:] ‘Well, she exists only in me. How can rejection [of her by me] occur?’ To that, they say, ‘Like a serpent [its] skin’ (ahir iva tvacam). The purport is this: As a snake does not consider even the skin belonging to itself with a sense of value, so you disregard that, the unborn (ajām), meaning, māyā [with the mentality], ‘A master [such as I] of a herd of desire-cows filled with ever-present bliss and consciousness has nothing to do with a goat (ajayā) [i.e., the word ajā means both ‘unborn’ and ‘goat,’ and here the commentator states that the Śrutis make a play on words based on these two different meanings]. ‘Why is that?’ [Śrī Bhagavān may ask]. Thus, they say, ‘[Being] Possessed of fortune (ātta-bhagaḥ), that is, eternally endowed with aiśvarya, you are exalted (mahīyase), that is, you are worshipable and you shine in [your own] eightfold (aṣṭa-guṇite) greatness (mahasi), that is, [your] supreme aiśvarya containing the eight magnificences [i.e., siddhis] of aṇimā (minuteness) and so forth. [Furthermore,] Of what nature [are you]? Of ‘immeasurable fortune’ (aparimeya-bhagaḥ), that is, immeasurable aiśvarya, meaning, your eightfold aiśvarya is not, rather, limited in time and space like that of others, but indeed is immeasurable on account of being completely inherent in your nature (svarūpa). This is the meaning.”
atha taṭasthatvaṁ ca ‘sa yad ajayā tyajām anuśayīta’ ity-ādau vyaktam asti, ubhaya-koṭāv apraviṣṭatvād eva |
(Excerpt from Paramātma Sandarbha: 39)
“Then, [the jīva’s] intermediacy (taṭasthatva) is stated in [SB 10.87.38] sa yad ajayā tyajām anuśayīta … specifically because of [the jīva’s] having not entered either category [i.e., because the jīva is described as being a conscious entity susceptible to māyā whereas Śrī Bhagavān is described as being inherently uninfluenceable by māyā even though he is the locus of māyā’s existence].”