Verse 2.3.30

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 2.3.30:

प्राधानिकैर् जीव-सङ्घैर् भुज्यमानं मनोरमम् ।
सर्वतः सर्व-माहात्म्याधिक्येन विलसत् स्वयम् ॥ ३० ॥

prādhānikair jīva-saṅghair bhujyamānaṃ manoramam |
sarvataḥ sarva-māhātmyādhikyena vilasat svayam || 30 ||

prādhānikaiḥ–consisting of the aggregate of material elements; jīva–of individual spirit souls; saṅghaiḥ–by hosts; bhujyamānam–enjoyed; manaḥ-ramam–beautiful; sarvataḥ–everywhere; sarva–all; māhātmya–glories; ādhikyena–with superiority; vilasat svayam–self-effulgent.

There, I saw enjoying in that enchanting layer innumerable living beings whose bodies were made of primordial, undifferentiated matter (the gross pradhāna) and who were devoid of material designations. That prakṛti, the material layer, in addition to being delightful, was selfeffulgent, manifesting varieties of opulences that were more magnificent than any cause or effect, subtle or gross.

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

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

In two verses, beginning here with prādhānikaiḥ, Śrī Gopa-kumāra describes what he saw in that layer of prakṛti. He says, “There were innumerable living beings with bodies made of primordial matter (pradhāna) that were free from the designation of action, or effect (kārya-upādhi). In other words, the living beings had obtained qualitative oneness with pradhāna, the ingredient, or material cause of the causal material energy (kāraṇa-rūpa prakṛti), which consists of the five sense objects (tan-mātras). These living beings were enjoying the immensely beautiful and pleasing layer of prakṛti. Being far more glorious than all types of gross and subtle causes and effects, that layer of prakṛti was selfeffulgent. It is the cause of the entire material world made of five elements.”

Because she is inert and dull (jaḍa), prakṛti, the material energy, is actually not self-luminous. However, out of fear that she would become dissipated or merged if knowledge of her foundation (adhiṣṭhāna)–the Supreme Lord–were to be acquired by the living beings [or in other words, if the living beings were to realize their real constitutional position, or svarūpa-jñāna], she covers knowledge of her adhiṣṭhāna by her concealing nature, thereby appropriating the eligibility to be self-luminous.