Srimad Bhagavatam. Canto 12: The Age of Deterioration

Chapter 6: Maharaja Parikshit Passes Away. Text 40-41

śṛṇoti ya imaá¹ sphoá¹­aá¹
supta-śrotre ca śūnya-dṛk
yena vÄg vyajyate yasya
vyaktir ÄkÄÅ›a Ätmanaḥ
sva-dhÄmno brÄhmaṇaḥ sÄká¹£Äd
vÄcakaḥ paramÄtmanaḥ
sa sarva-mantropaniá¹£ad
veda-bÄ«jaá¹ sanÄtanam

 Å›á¹›á¹‡oti - hears; yaḥ - who; imam - this; sphoá¹­am - unmanifest and eternal subtle sound; supta-Å›rotre - when the sense of hearing is asleep; ca - and; Å›Å«nya-dá¹›k - devoid of material sight and other sensory functions; yena - by which; vÄk - the expanse of Vedic sound; vyajyate - is elaborated; yasya - of which; vyaktiḥ - the manifestation; ÄkÄÅ›e - in the sky (of the heart); Ätmanaḥ - from the soul; sva-dhÄmnaḥ - who is His own origin; brahmaṇaḥ - of the Absolute Truth; sÄká¹£Ät - directly; vÄcakaḥ - the designating term; parama-Ätmanaḥ - of the Supersoul; saḥ - that; sarva - of all; mantra - Vedic hymns; upaniá¹£at - the secret; veda - of the Vedas; bÄ«jam - the seed; sanÄtanam - eternal.


Text

This oá¹kÄra, ultimately nonmaterial and imperceptible, is heard by the Supersoul without His possessing material ears or any other material senses. The entire expanse of Vedic sound is elaborated from oá¹kÄra, which appears from the soul, within the sky of the heart. It is the direct designation of the self-originating Absolute Truth, the Supersoul, and is the secret essence and eternal seed of all Vedic hymns.

Purport

The senses of a sleeping person do not function until he has awakened. Therefore, when a sleeping person is awakened by a noise, one may ask, “Who heard the noise?†The words supta-Å›rotre in this verse indicate that the Supreme Lord within the heart hears the sound and awakens the sleeping living entities. The Lord’s sensory activities always function on a superior level. Ultimately, all sounds vibrate within the sky, and in the internal region of the heart there is a type of sky meant for the vibration of Vedic sounds. The seed, or source, of all Vedic sounds is the oá¹kÄra. This is confirmed by the Vedic statement om ity etad brahmaṇo nediṣṭhaá¹ nÄma. The full elaboration of the Vedic seed sound is ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam, the greatest Vedic literature.