Skip to main content

ŚB 12.4.32

Devanagari

यथा घनोऽर्कप्रभवोऽर्कदर्शितो
ह्यर्कांशभूतस्य च चक्षुषस्तम: ।
एवं त्वहं ब्रह्मगुणस्तदीक्षितो
ब्रह्मांशकस्यात्मन आत्मबन्धन: ॥ ३२ ॥

Text

yathā ghano ’rka-prabhavo ’rka-darśito
hy arkāṁśa-bhūtasya ca cakṣuṣas tamaḥ
evaṁ tv ahaṁ brahma-guṇas tad-īkṣito
brahmāṁśakasyātmana ātma-bandhanaḥ

Synonyms

yathā — as; ghanaḥ — a cloud; arka — of the sun; prabhavaḥ — the product; arka — by the sun; darśitaḥ — made visible; hi — indeed; arka — of the sun; aṁśa-bhūtasya — which is the partial expansion; ca — and; cakṣuṣaḥ — of the eye; tamaḥ — darkness; evam — in the same way; tu — indeed; aham — false ego; brahma-guṇaḥ — a quality of the Absolute Truth; tat-īkṣitaḥ — visible through the agency of that Absolute Truth; brahma-aṁśakasya — of the partial expansion of the Absolute Truth; ātmanaḥ — of the jīva soul; ātma-bandhanaḥ — serving to obstruct perception of the Supreme Soul.

Translation

Although a cloud is a product of the sun and is also made visible by the sun, it nevertheless creates darkness for the viewing eye, which is another partial expansion of the sun. Similarly, material false ego, a particular product of the Absolute Truth made visible by the Absolute Truth, obstructs the individual soul, another partial expansion of the Absolute Truth, from realizing the Absolute Truth.