Adi-tila, Chapter 5 409

In the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhdgavatam it is said, yajanti tvan-mayds tvdrh vai
bahu-mirty-eka-mirtikam: ‘‘O my Lord, although You manifest Yourself in varieties
of forms, You are one without a second. Therefore pure devotees concentrate upon
You and worship only You.”* (BAdg. 10.40.7) In the Karma Purdna it is said:

asthiilas cdnanus caiva
sthiilo ‘nus caiva sarvatah

avarnah sarvatah proktah
$yamo raktdnta-locanah

“The Lord is personal although impersonal, He is atomic although great, and He is
blackish and has red eyes although He is colorless.”” By material calculation all this
may appear contradictory, but if we understand that the Supreme Personality of
Godhead has inconceivable potencies, we can accept these facts as eternally possible
in Him. In our present condition we cannot understand the spiritual activities and
how they occur, but although they are inconceivable in the material context, we
should not disregard such contradictory conceptions.

Although it is apparently inconceivable, it is quite possible for the Absolute to
reconcile all opposing elements. Srimad-Bhdgavatam establishes this in the Sixth
Canto (6.9.34-37):

“O my Lord, Your transcendental pastimes and enjoyments all appear in-
conceivable because they are not limited by the causal and effective actions of
material thought. You can do everything without performing bodily work. The
Vedas say that the Absolute Truth has multifarious potencies and does not need to
do anything personally. My dear Lord, You are entirely devoid of material qualities.
Without anyone’s help, You can create, maintain and dissolve the entire qualitative
material manifestation, yet in all such activities You do not change. You do not
accept the results of Your activities, unlike ordinary demons and demigods, who
suffer or enjoy the reactions of their activities in the material world. Unaffected by
the reactions of work, You eternally exist with Your full spiritual potency. This we
cannot fully understand.

“Because You are unlimited in Your six opulences, no one can count Your
transcendental qualities. Philosophers and other thoughtful persons are overwhelmed
by the contradictory manifestations of the physical world and the propositions of
logical arguments and judgments. Because they are bewildered by word jugglery and
disturbed by the different calculations of the scriptures, their theories cannot touch
You, who are the ruler and controller of everyone and whose glories are beyond
conception.

“Your inconceivable potency keeps You unattached to the mundane qualities.
Surpassing all conceptions of material contemplation, Your pure transcendental
knowledge keeps You beyond all speculative processes. By Your inconceivable po-
tency, there is nothing contradictory in You.

“People may sometimes think of You as impersonal or personal, but You are one.
For persons who are confused or bewildered, a rope may manifest itself as different
kinds of snakes. For similar confused persons who are uncertain about You, You
