Verse 1.1.60

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 1.1.60:

শুদ্ধ-সত্ত্ব-মূর্তি প্রভু ধরেন করুণায যে-বিগ্রহে সবার প্রকাশ সুলীলায ॥ ৬০ ॥

शुद्ध-सत्त्व-मूर्ति प्रभु धरेन करुणाय ये-विग्रहे सबार प्रकाश सुलीलाय ॥ ६० ॥

śuddha-sattva-mūrti prabhu dharena karuṇāya ye-vigrahe sabāra prakāśa sulīlāya || 60 ||

suddha-sattva-murti prabhu dharena karunaya ye-vigrahe sabara prakasa sulilaya (60)

English translation:

(60) His form is completely spiritual, and He manifests it only by His mercy. All the activities in this material world are conducted within

His form.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

This and the following verse are Bengali translations of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (5.25.10), which appears in this chapter as verse 54. The word śuddha-sattva in this verse refers to Śrī Baladeva, who is the predominating Deity of the sandhinī energy, which is one of the three internal potencies. All the ingredients of the spiritual world emanate from Baladeva. In other words, śuddha-sattva, or pure goodness, which is beyond the three modes of material nature, emanates from Him. In other words, He is the cause of spiritual existence. All of Viṣṇu’s various forms are His plenary portions or portions of His plenary portions, and They are all forms of pure goodness. In the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (4.3.23) Lord Śiva speaks to Satī as follows: “I am always engaged in offering obeisances to Lord Vāsudeva in pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is always pure consciousness, in which the Supreme Personality of Godhead, known as Vāsudeva, is revealed without any covering.” In their commentaries on this verse: (1) Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī says, “The word viśuddha indicates a complete absence of material influence because of being sheltered by the Lord’s svarūpa-śakti;” (2) Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says, “The word viśuddha indicates that it is spiritual, being composed of the cit-śakti;” and (3) Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī says, “Sattva refers to the consciousness, or the level of pure sattva.” In his commentary on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (1.2.24) he says: “Sattva refers to direct perception of Brahman.” And in his commentary on the words viśuddhaṃ sattvam ūrjitam from the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (1.3.3), he says: “Viśuddha indicates ‘untouched by the guṇas’ and ūrjitam means ‘unsurpassed.’” In his Śrī Bhāgavata-tātparya, Śrī Madhvācārya says: “Sattva refers to the possession of saintly qualities, knowledge, strength, and attractive form.” In the Matsya Purāṇa it is stated: “Sattva refers to the totality of all strength and knowledge.” Another name for the state of pure goodness is vasudeva. One who appears in that state is called

Vāsudeva.

It is stated in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi 4.64-65): “The essential portion of the sandhinī potency is śuddha-sattva. Lord Kṛṣṇa’s existence rests upon it. Kṛṣṇa’s mother, father, abode, house, bedding, seats, and so on are all transformations of śuddha-sattva.” Again, in the Caitanya- caritāmṛta (Ādi 5.43-44, 48) it is said: “One variety of the pastimes of the spiritual energy is described as pure goodness [viśuddha-sattva]. It comprises all the abodes of Vaikuṇṭha. The six attributes are all spiritual. Know for certain that they are all manifestations of the opulence of Saṅkarṣaṇa. That Saṅkarṣaṇa, who is transcendental pure goodness, is a partial expansion of Nityānanda Balarāma.”

The words mūrti and vigraha are synonymous—both mean form. All the forms of Lord Viṣṇu are naturally eternal, full of knowledge and bliss, and purely spiritual; His name, form, qualities, associates, and pastimes are all transcendental. He is factually not impersonal or devoid of spiritual variegatedness. A conditioned soul who is averse to the Lord cannot comprehend the Lord with his imagination born of mental speculation, which is a product of material qualities and faults. The Lord is adhokṣaja, or beyond material conception, and the living entities are also transcendental and superior to material nature.

The word sabāra in this verse means “of the material and spiritual worlds,” in other words, “of this material world, which is a mixture of cause and effect, and of the spiritual worlds, including all viṣṇu-tattvas.” The word sulīlāya means “natural” or “by the influence of wonderful pastimes.”