चरमः सद्विशेषाणामनेकोऽसंयुतः सदा ।
परमाणुः स विज्ञेयो नृणामैक्यभ्रमो यतः ॥१॥
maitreya uvÄca
caramaḥ sad-viÅ›eá¹£ÄṇÄm
aneko 'saá¹yutaḥ sadÄ
paramÄṇuḥ sa vijñeyo
nṛṇÄm aikya-bhramo yataḥ
maitreyaḥ uvÄca - Maitreya said; caramaḥ - ultimate; sat - effect; viÅ›eá¹£ÄṇÄm - symptoms; anekaḥ - innumerable; asaá¹yutaḥ - unmixed; sadÄ - always; parama-aṇuḥ - atoms; saḥ - that; vijñeyaḥ - should be understood; nṛṇÄm - of men; aikya - oneness; bhramaḥ - mistaken; yataḥ - from which.
The material manifestation’s ultimate particle, which is indivisible and not formed into a body, is called the atom. It exists always as an invisible identity, even after the dissolution of all forms. The material body is but a combination of such atoms, but it is misunderstood by the common man.
The atomic description of the ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam is almost the same as the modern science of atomism, and this is further described in the ParamÄṇu-vÄda of KaṇÄda. In modern science also, the atom is accepted as the ultimate indivisible particle of which the universe is composed. ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam is the full text of all descriptions of knowledge, including the theory of atomism. The atom is the minute subtle form of eternal time.
