[Súkśmátisúkśmaḿ kalilasya madhye vishvasya sraśt́á-ramanekarúpam;
Vishvasyaekaḿ pariveśt́itáraḿ jiṋátvá Shivaḿ shánti-matyantameti.
Anádyanantamakhilasya madhye vishvasya sraśt́á-ramanekarúpam;
Vishvasyaekaḿ pariveśt́itáraḿ jiṋátvá Devaḿ mucyate sarvapáshaeh.

Within so many subtle and still subtler structures, the Creator of the universe expresses Himself in so many forms. By knowing Him, knowing that Shiva, who is beyond the universe also, human beings can attain absolute peace.

Within this vast universe, the Creator, the One without beginning or end, expresses Himself in so many forms. By knowing that Deva, who is beyond the universe also, human beings become free from all fetters.⁽¹⁾

Parama Puruśa is called súkśma, or “subtle”. What is subtle? Any object which does not usually come within the scope of the sense organs is subtle. When an object is so small or so vast that the human eyes cannot perceive it properly, it is called subtle. When a particular sound is so low or so high that human ears cannot perceive it, it is called subtle. Similarly, when an object is so sweet that our tongue cannot properly perceive its sweetness, it is called subtle. So it is said that anything which does not come within the scope of sense perception is called subtle.

And this subtle object human beings try to bring within the scope of sense perception through a machine – a telescope or a microscope or something of the sort. And that object is called very, very subtle which does not at all come within the scope of perception, even through subtle instruments. Now the difference between a subtle object and a very subtle object varies from person to person, from place to place. For instance, there may be some subtle object today which is not perceivable even by machines; but maybe some new machine will be invented tomorrow by which we will be able to perceive the same object. Then that object will no longer be considered very subtle. But even in that case there will be something, some entity, which will still remain very subtle for those days. This is the inexorable law.

The word kalilam has a number of meanings in the Vedic language. But the general or popular meaning of the word is ádhára – a structure, a base. What sort of structure? A structure with which I am associated through inference. For instance, suppose a very bright light is emanating from an object. Light may be emitted from any object. But the very object which is radiating light and which you are trying to perceive – that very light-radiating object is known as kalila.

Now Parama Puruśa is manifesting Himself in various forms even through that kalila.

Now comes vishva. Vishva apparently means “universe which is created”: that which does not come within the scope of human perception but only partially.

Now the degree of human comprehension of this universe varies from person to person. For a human being this universe is certainly beyond the scope of total perception. But a certain portion of this universe is certainly within his reach. Again, to a cow the world is unlimited, no doubt, but the cow fails to comprehend that this universe is unlimited, and that only that part of the universe where she grazes comes within her reach. So there is a variation between human and human and between creature and creature as to the degree of comprehension of this universe.

That’s why some persons spend their lives in quarrels over land, while others may prefer to spend their lifetimes delving into scriptures, while others might be more interested in earning money. For these types of people, a very little portion of the universe is within their comprehension, whereas a vast portion of the universe remains untrodden and incomprehensible to them. Now [human] greatness or smallness is judged by how far a person has expanded his area of comprehension of the incomprehensible portion. You may find it a little difficult to understand this point. Suppose for instance a particular person has comprehended this earth; the solar system has come within the scope of his or her comprehension. In the case of a cow the arena remains quite limited; and if again a cow is tied to a stake, her arena may be still more limited. She does not know anything beyond that arena, nor does she want to know. She has no urge to know at all. In Bengal there is a popular saying that a cow which is tied to a fixed pole has a fixed quantity of grass to eat. Human beings who remain too preoccupied with terrestrial objects are in a condition no better than that of that cow.

For a person who is more evolved in intellectual erudition, the comprehensible portion of the universe goes on increasing. But the incomprehensible portion remains as large as before, because that is infinite. But a developed human being lives to reclaim the incomprehensible portion. For instance, when we fondle a little child, we think that the child is not merely a child, but rather Parama Puruśa Himself has come to me in the form of a child just to enjoy my fondling, love, and care. He has willingly come to me for that purpose. This is called madhuvidyá, and one should always remember to do it. And one who remembers to do it all the time is considered a great person in society.

So this is the explanation of vishva, the universe, of which part comes within the scope of human knowledge while another part remains inaccessible. So the universe never means the earth only.

Vishvasya sraśt́áramanekarúpam. Now, “the creator of this universe is manifesting Himself in innumerable forms, innumerable colours.” That is why a mystic of Bengal once exclaimed:

[

Tomár rúpe mugdha ámi mugdha Tomár guńe
Párghát́áte base áchi Tomár nám shuńe.

]

This means, “Your [beauty] has delighted me beyond words, Your qualities have also delighted me beyond words. I am sitting on the other side of the river after hearing of Your [impending] arrival.” All we human beings are sitting on the other side of the river.

The creator of this universe has too many forms for us to count, has too many qualities for us to count. He is endless in qualities, unfathomable in beauty. These little green worms or flies that fly about in autumn, the little red worms or insects, these long and continued seasons, these vast oceans, these roaring streams of clouds – all these are He, in endless forms. These rumblings of clouds, these flashes of lightning – all [of] existence are veritable expressions of Your numerous forms. You have not a few but many forms. There is no end to Your forms, and human beings do not have the capacity to see all Your forms.

You are beginningless, You are endless. You have firmly established yourself by Your omnipresence, by Your special and supreme divine power, which human beings neither have the [inherent] capacity to think of nor have been given the power to think of. If at all they start thinking about that divine power of Yours, they simply lose their individual identities.

None of the created beings has the power to deny Your existence, to challenge Your power, Your qualities and greatness.

All the created beings are Your partial manifestations. They can never measure You. They can never fathom You. If at all they try to measure You that will be a sheer waste of time and energy for them.

He is not only manifesting Himself in this universe in various forms, He is also [pariveśt́itáraḿ], that is, He is “beyond the arena of this universe itself, is beyond the scope of human comprehension”.

You are circumscribing even the vast universe, You are! You are my own, You who are hidden in each and every one. You are immanent in each and everyone of this universe, that immanent You who is conversant with each and every inner psychic vibration of mind, who knows the innermost secret thoughts of my mind even before I know, who is my own. When one knows that immanent You, that Shivam, one attains lasting peace, eternal bliss. You are Shiva, You are Shánta; knowing You, one can attain bliss.

Shiva means “Supreme Consciousness”: so, “He who is controlling everything, is manifesting a balance in everything, who has restored order in everything”.

How will He restore order? How will He do so? By dint of His own prowess, own valour, own dignity and authority. One can attain peace by knowing Him alone. But how to restore peace? By fighting all the forces which are a detriment to peace. Now the one who can restore peace is Shaḿkara. One who is putting everyone on the right path, by chastisement and punishment, is Shaḿkara. He is Shiva. Human beings can hope to attain everlasting peace by knowing You who are everyone’s own, who are the most favourable to one and all. Now lasting peace, that is, átyantikii shánti,⁽²⁾ is that permanent peace which does not vanish after two or three days. Peace which is everlasting, which leads to eternal well-being, is átyantikii shánti. Only by knowing that Parama Puruśa, that Shiva Shaḿkara, can one attain eternal peace. There is no alternative.

Footnotes

(1) The magazine article that is the source of this discourse did not include this shloka, but since the discourse is a commentary on this shloka, it is assumed that the author must have quoted it. –Eds.

(2) Referring to shántimatyanta in the shloka. –Eds.