Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Texts 12.4.15-19
अपां रसमथो तेजस्ता लीयन्तेऽथ नीरसा: ।
ग्रसते तेजसो रूपं वायुस्तद्रहितं तदा ॥ १५ ॥
लीयते चानिले तेजो वायो: खं ग्रसते गुणम् ।
स वै विशति खं राजंस्ततश्च नभसो गुणम् ॥ १६ ॥
शब्दं ग्रसति भूतादिर्नभस्तमनुलीयते ।
तैजसश्चेन्द्रियाण्यङ्ग देवान् वैकारिको गुणै: ॥ १७ ॥
महान् ग्रसत्यहङ्कारं गुणा: सत्त्वादयश्च तम् ।
ग्रसतेऽव्याकृतं राजन् गुणान् कालेन चोदितम् ॥ १८ ॥
न तस्य कालावयवै: परिणामादयो गुणा: ।
अनाद्यनन्तमव्यक्तं नित्यं कारणमव्ययम् ॥ १९ ॥
apāṁ rasam atho tejas
tā līyante ’tha nīrasāḥ
grasate tejaso rūpaṁ
vāyus tad-rahitaṁ tadā
līyate cānile tejo
vāyoḥ khaṁ grasate guṇam
sa vai viśati khaṁ rājaṁs
tataś ca nabhaso guṇam
śabdaṁ grasati bhūtādir
nabhas tam anu līyate
taijasaś cendriyāṇy aṅga
devān vaikāriko guṇaiḥ
mahān grasaty ahaṅkāraṁ
guṇāḥ sattvādayaś ca tam
grasate ’vyākṛtaṁ rājan
guṇān kālena coditam
na tasya kālāvayavaiḥ
pariṇāmādayo guṇāḥ
anādy anantam avyaktaṁ
nityaṁ kāraṇam avyayam
The element fire then seizes the taste from the element water, which, deprived of its unique quality, taste, merges into fire. Air seizes the form inherent in fire, and then fire, deprived of form, merges into air. The element ether seizes the quality of air, namely touch, and that air enters into ether. Then, O King, false ego in ignorance seizes sound, the quality of ether, after which ether merges into false ego. False ego in the mode of passion takes hold of the senses, and false ego in the mode of goodness absorbs the demigods. Then the total mahat-tattva seizes false ego along with its various functions, and that mahat is seized by the three basic modes of nature — goodness, passion and ignorance. My dear King Parīkṣit, these modes are further overtaken by the original unmanifest form of nature, impelled by time. That unmanifest nature is not subject to the six kinds of transformation caused by the influence of time. Rather, it has no beginning and no end. It is the unmanifest, eternal and infallible cause of creation.
Read this verse on Vedabase.ioThis verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.
From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.