Verse 2.2.227

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 2.2.227:

तत् स्वरूपम् अनिर्वच्यं कथञ्चिद् वर्ण्यते बुधैः ।
साकारं च निराकारं यथा-मत्य्-अनुसारतः ॥ २२७ ॥

tat svarūpam anirvacyaṃ kathañcid varṇyate budhaiḥ |
sākāraṃ ca nirākāraṃ yathā-maty-anusārataḥ || 227 ||

tat-svarūpam–that form; anirvācyam–indescribable; kathañcit–sometimes; varṇyate–is described; budhaiḥ–by the learned; saākāram–with form; ca–and; nir-ākāram–without form; yathāmati–as understood; anusārataḥ–in accordance with.

The true nature of the lord of Mahākāla is beyond words to describe, but scholars nevertheless describe Him to some degree. According to their personal views, some portray Him as possessing form and others describe Him as formless.

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

(By Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī himself including a deep purport of that commentary)

The bhakti-śāstras say, “Words cannot do justice to the real nature of the lord of Mahākāla. It is said, ‘na śītaṃ na coṣṇaṃ suvarṇāvadātaṃ prasannaṃ sadānanda-saṃit-svarūpam–He is neither hot nor cold, but He is effulgent like gold, the eversatisfied Self with an eternally blissful, cognizant form.’ His actual identity cannot be understood merely by empirical knowledge (jñāna), and therefore, some learned persons who have perceived Him by their intelligence, describe Him as having a form. An example of this is found in the Harivaṃśa, wherein Arjuna says: “Beyond the dense darkness, I see the shining, brilliant form of that great Personality. He is situated in one place but His effulgence spreads throughout all the planets.” Others describe the abode of liberation as formless. Here the word yathā-mati, meaning ‘according to their intelligence,’ implies that, although Mahākāla-puruṣa has a personal form, He appears formless to persons absorbed in dry knowledge. However, Bhagavān’s devotees have ascertained His real identity as possessing a form.”