यथा न पुत्रिकाशून्यः स्तम्भोनुत्कीर्णपुत्रिकः । तथा भातं जगद्ब्रह्म तेन शून्यं न तत्पदम् ॥ ९ ॥
yathā na putrikāśūnyaḥ stambhōnutkīrṇaputrikaḥ | tathā bhātaṁ jagadbrahma tēna śūnyaṁ na tatpadam || 9 ||
Translation
As a pillar with an uncarved figure is not empty of the figure, so Brahman, which shone as the world, is not empty; therefore that state is not void.
Word by word
- yathā
- as
- na
- not
- putrikā
- of the figure
- śūnyaḥ
- empty
- stambhō
- (stambhaḥ) a pillar
- anutkīrṇa
- uncarved
- putrikaḥ
- having a figure
- tathā
- so
- bhātaṁ
- which shone
- jagad
- as the world
- brahma
- Brahman
- tēna
- therefore
- śūnyaṁ
- void
- tat
- that
- padam
- state
Meaning
The image of v. 7 turned round. There the figure was in the pillar; here the pillar is full of the figure. The commentary: by the craftsman's skill a figure can appear from any pillar, so a pillar from which none has yet been carved cannot be called empty of figures; in the same way That (Brahman) is not empty of the world. The word bhātam, "which shone", matters: the world is Brahman's own shining, so Brahman before or after it is not the absence of the world but its unshown fullness.