यथा नभस्यभ्रतम:प्रकाशा भवन्ति भूपा न भवन्त्यनुक्रमात् । एवं परे ब्रह्मणि शक्तयस्त्वमू रजस्तम:सत्त्वमिति प्रवाह: ॥ १७ ॥
yatha nabhasy abhra-tamah-prakasa bhavanti bhupa na bhavanty anukramat evam pare brahmani saktayas tv amu rajas tamah sattvam iti pravahah
- yatha
- as
- nabhasi
- in the sky
- abhra
- clouds
- tamah
- darkness
- prakasah
- and illumination
- bhavanti
- exist
- bhu-pah
- O Kings
- na bhavanti
- do not appear
- anukramat
- consecutively
- evam
- thus
- pare
- supreme
- brahmani
- in the Absolute
- saktayah
- energies
- tu
- then
- amuh
- those
- rajah
- passion
- tamah
- darkness
- sattvam
- goodness
- iti
- thus
- pravahah
- emanation.
My dear Kings, sometimes in the sky there are clouds, sometimes there is darkness, and sometimes there is illumination. The appearance of all these takes 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.