SB 3.11.1
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 1
- maitreya uvāca
- caramaḥ sad-viśeṣāṇām
- aneko 'saṁyutaḥ sadā
- paramāṇuḥ sa vijñeyo
- nṛṇām aikya-bhramo yataḥ
SYNONYMS
maitreyaḥ uvāca—Maitreya said; caramaḥ—ultimate; sat—effect; viśeṣāṇām—symptoms; anekaḥ—innumerable; asaṁyutaḥ—unmixed; sadā—always; parama-aṇuḥ—atoms; saḥ—that; vijñeyaḥ—should be understood; nṛṇām—of men; aikya—oneness; bhramaḥ—mistaken; yataḥ—from which.
TRANSLATION
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.
PURPORT
The atomic description of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is almost the same as the modern science of atomism, and this is further described in the Paramāṇu-vāda of Kaṇāda. In modern science also, the atom is accepted as the ultimate indivisible particle of which the universe is composed. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the full text of all descriptions of knowledge, including the theory of atomism. The atom is the minute subtle form of eternal time.