पूर्णात्पूर्णं प्रसरति संस्थितं पूर्णमेव तत् । अतो विश्वमनुत्पन्नं यच्चोत्पन्नं तदेव तत् ॥ २९ ॥
pūrṇātpūrṇaṁ prasarati saṁsthitaṁ pūrṇamēva tat | atō viśvamanutpannaṁ yaccōtpannaṁ tadēva tat || 29 ||
Translation
The full flows forth from the full and, so abiding, is the full itself. So the universe is unborn, and what was born is That alone.
Word by word
- pūrṇāt
- from the full
- pūrṇaṁ
- the full
- prasarati
- flows forth
- saṁsthitaṁ
- so abiding
- ēva
- itself; alone
- tat
- that
- atō
- (ataḥ) so
- viśvam
- the universe
- anutpannaṁ
- unborn
- yac
- (yat) what
- ca
- and
- utpannaṁ
- was born
- tad
- (tat) That
Meaning
The commentary: from the full only the full appears; standing in the full, it is the full; so the universe was never born, and what is born is of That's own nature, Brahman alone. The verse holds two statements together that seem to clash: the universe never arose, and something did arise. Both are true because what arose is nothing but That. A creation that adds nothing to its source has not, in the strict sense, been created.