yad yan niruktaṁ vacasā nirūpitaṁ
yad yan niruktaṁ vacasā nirūpitaṁ
dhiyākṣabhir vā manasota yasya
mā bhūt svarūpaṁ guṇa-rūpaṁ hi tat tat
sa vai guṇāpāya-visarga-lakṣaṇaḥ
I offer respects to the Lord whose form cannot defined by words, intelligence, senses or mind, since their products are material, and who is the cause of creation and destruction of all matter.
Words and intelligence are all made of māyā. Whatever is concluded by them is also māyā. That cannot be the Lord’s form. That is expressed in this verse. What is indicated by words, what is distinguished by the intelligence, what is perceived by the senses, and even (uta) what is imagined by the mind, is not the form of the Lord. This verse is connected with verse 31: I offer respects to the Lord whose form is not what is indicated by words. This is because (hi) all these forms are made of the guṇas, whereas the Lord is beyond the guṇas. He creates and destroys the guṇas. He who creates and destroys is the Lord. He exists before and after creation and destruction. However there are many contrary statements in the śruti and smṛti:
atra dṛśyate tv agryayā buddhyā
The Lord is seen by concentrated intelligence. Katha Upaniṣad 1.3.12.2
manasā evānudraṣṭavya
The Lord is to be seen by the mind. Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.4.20
tam eva viditvā atimṛtyum eti
Knowing the Lord one surpasses death. Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 3.8
ātmā vā are mantavyaḥ
The Lord should be contemplated. Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.5.6
tasmāt sarvātmanā rājan hariḥ sarvatra sarvadā |
śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca smartavyo bhagavān nṛṇām ||
O King! Therefore, at all times and all places without restriction men should hear about, glorify and remember the Supreme Lord with full concentration of mind.
SB 2.2.36
Thus when it says the Lord cannot be explained by word it means “by words which are not favored by the Lord.” Thus the śruti says the Lord is realized by “concentrated” intelligence not by mere intelligence. It is said:
ataḥ śrī-kṛṣna-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ
sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eve sphuraty adaḥ
The Lord’s name and form are not revealed by material senses, but appear spontaneously on the tongue and in other senses when one has faith in the Lord.
BRS 1.2.234
Some persons however say that the Lord cannot really be defined since he cannot be completely defined. Here is another example: yato vāco nivartante aprāpya manasā saha: words along with mind return without attaining the Lord. (Taittirīya Upaniṣad 2.4.1) The ablative case (yataḥ) is used to show that words and mind cannot understand the Lord. This is because of internal greed in the words and mind.
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