Verse 2.12.28

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 2.12.28:

বেদের অগম্য নিত্যানন্দের চরিত্র সর্ব-জীব-জনক, রক্ষক, সর্ব-মিত্র ॥ ২৮ ॥

वेदेर अगम्य नित्यानन्देर चरित्र सर्व-जीव-जनक, रक्षक, सर्व-मित्र ॥ २८ ॥

vedera agamya nityānandera caritra sarva-jīva-janaka, rakṣaka, sarva-mitra || 28 ||

vedera agamya nityanandera caritra sarva-jiva-janaka, raksaka, sarva-mitra (28)

English translation:

(28) “The characteristics of Nityānanda are incomprehensible to the

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

Vedas. He is the origin, protector, and friend of all living entities.

The characteristics of Nityānanda are incomprehensible to the knowers of the Vedas. Coming from this Nityānanda, the Saṅkarṣaṇa form of Vāsudeva in Mahā-Vaikuṇṭha considered by the followers of the Pañcarātras is not Nityānanda’s partial identity. He is a self-manifested object. From Him, Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, and Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu manifest and float in the three oceans. These three Viṣṇus reside in Mahā-Vaikuṇṭha as Aniruddha, Pradyumna, and Saṅkarṣaṇa as the cause of both Vaikuṇṭha and the material world. The form of Viṣṇu presiding over the sandhinī potency manifests Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, from whom all the occasional incarnations are manifested. Since the living entities who belong to the marginal energy of the Lord are manifested from Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, He is the father of all living entities. Because He is the maintainer of all living entities, He is the “protector,” and because He is the shelter of all living entities, He is the “friend.” Lord Nityānanda is the supreme controller, and the

living entities are His separated parts. They are born from the marginal energy of the Lord and are servants of the Lord. In Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi 5.43-45) it is stated: “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.

There is one marginal potency, known as the jīva. Mahā-saṅkarṣaṇa is the shelter of all jīvas.”