Text 17] Narada Instructs the Pracetas 1579

“Again and again the day comes, and this host of beings is active, and
again the night falls, O Partha, and they are helplessly dissolved.” (Bg. 8.19)

When the cosmic manifestation is dissolved, it is in a kind of sleeping
condition, an inactive state. Whether the cosmic manifestation is active
or inactive, the energy of the Supreme Lord is always existing. Thus the
words “‘appearance”’ and “disappearance” apply only to the cosmic mani-
festation.

TEXT 17
aM TAT ATA THA
wafea TM A MITTS |
we Wt wa WHIT
TAUAAAA =«—«-_- WAT 2

yatha nabhasy abhra-tamah-prakasa
bhavanti bhiipd na bhavanty anukramat
evam pare brahmani saktayas tv amit
rajas tamah sattvam iti pravahah

yatha—as; nabhasi—in the sky; abhra—clouds; tamah—darkness; prakasah
—and illumination; bhavanti—exist; bhii-pah—O Kings; na bhavanti—do not
appear; anukramat—consecutively ; evam—thus; pare—supreme; brahmani—
in the Absolute; sak tayah—energies; tu—then; amuh—those; rajah—passion;
tamah—darkness; sattvam—goodness; iti— thus; pravahah—emanation.

TRANSLATION

My dear Kings, sometimes in the sky there are clouds, sometimes there
is darkness, and sometimes there is illumination. The appearance of all
these take place consecutively. Similarly, in the Supreme Absolute, the
modes of passion, darkness and goodness appear as consecutive energies.
Sometimes they appear, and sometimes they disappear.

PURPORT

Darkness, illumination and clouds sometimes appear and sometimes dis-
appear, but even when they have disappeared, the potency is still there,
always existing. In the sky sometimes we see clouds, sometimes rainfall
and sometimes snow. Sometimes we see night, sometimes day, sometimes
illumination and sometimes darkness. All these exist due to the sun, but
