Shloka

कविं पुराणमनुशासितार-
मणोरणीयंसमनुस्मरेद्यः |
सर्वस्य धातारमचिन्त्यरूप-
मादित्यवर्णं तमसः परस्तात् ||८-९||

Transliteration

kaviṃ purāṇamanuśāsitāraṃ aṇoraṇīyaṃsamanusmaredyaḥ .
sarvasya dhātāramacintyarūpaṃ ādityavarṇaṃ tamasaḥ parastāt ||8-9||

Translations

Dr.S.Sankaranarayan

8.9. He, who meditates continuously on the Ancient Seer, the Ruler, the Subtler than the subtle, the Supporter of all, the Unimaginable-formed, the Sun-coloured, and That which is beyond the darkness;

Shri Purohit Swami

8.9 Whoso meditates on the Omniscient, the Ancient, more minute than the atom, yet the Ruler and Upholder of all, Unimaginable, Brilliant like the Sun, Beyond the reach of darkness;

Sri Abhinav Gupta

8.9 See Comment under 8.10

Sri Ramanuja

8.9 - 8.10 He who focusses his life-breath between the eyrows at the time of death with a mind rendered unswerving through its purification achieved by the strength of Yoga conjoined with Bhakti practised day after day; and he who contemplates on the ‘Kavi’ i.e., the Omniscient, the ‘Primeval’, i.e., who existed always, ’the Ruler,’ i.e., who governs the universe, ‘who is subtler than the subtle,’ i.e., who is subtler than the individual self, ‘who is the Dhata’ of all, i.e., the creator of all, ‘whose nature is inconceivable,’ i.e., whose nature is other than everything else, ‘who is sun-coloured and beyond darkness,’ i.e., who possesses a divine form peculiar to Himself - he who concentrates on Him, the Divine Person described above, between the eyrows, attains Him alone. He attains His state and comes to have power and glory similar to His. Such is the meaning.

Then He describes the mode of meditation to be adopted by the seeker of Kaivalya or the Jijnasu (i.e., of one who seeks to know his own self or Atman in contrast to one whose object is God-realisation).

Sri Shankaracharya

8.9 Yah, he who, anyone who; anusmaret, meditates on; kavim, the Omniscient, the Knower of things past, present and future; puranam, the Ancient, the Eternal; anusasitaram, the Ruler, the Lord of the whole Universe; aniyamsam, subtler; anoh, than the subtle; dhataram, the Ordainer; sarvasya, of every-thing-one who grants the fruits of actions, in all their varieties, individually to all creatures; acintya-rupam, who is of inconceivable form-His form, though always existing, defies being conceived of by anybody; aditya-varnam, who is effulgent like the sun, who is manifest as eternal Consciousness like the effulgence of the sun; and parastat, beyond; tamasah, darkness-beyond the darkness of delusion in the form of ignorance-(he attains the supreme Person). This verse is to be connected with the earlier itself thus: ‘by meditating (on Him)৷৷.he attains Him.’ Further,

Swami Adidevananda

8.9 He who meditates on the Omniscient, the Anceint, the Ruler, subtler than the subtle, the Ordainer of everything, of inconceivable form, effulgent like the sun, and beyond darkness-(he attains the supreme Person).

8.9 Whosoever meditates on the Omniscient, the Ancient, the Ruler (of the whole world), minuter than an atom, the supporter of all, of inconceivable form, effulgent like the sun and beyond the darkness of ignorance.

8.9 Yah, he who, anyone who; anusmaret, meditates on; kavim, the Omniscient, the Knower of things past, present and future; puranam, the Ancient, the Eternal; anusasitaram, the Ruler, the Lord of the whole Universe; aniyamsam, subtler; anoh, than the subtle; dhataram, the Ordainer; sarvasya, of every-thing-one who grants the fruits of actions, in all their varieties, individually to all creatures; acintya-rupam, who is of inconceivable form-His form, though always existing, defies being conceived of by anybody; aditya-varnam, who is effulgent like the sun, who is manifest as eternal Consciousness like the effulgence of the sun; and parastat, beyond; tamasah, darkness-beyond the darkness of delusion in the form of ignorance-(he attains the supreme Person). This verse is to be connected with the earlier itself thus: ‘by meditating (on Him)৷৷.he attains Him.’ Further,

Swami Gambirananda

8.9 He who meditates on the Omniscient, the Anceint, the Ruler, subtler than the subtle, the Ordainer of everything, of inconceivable form, effulgent like the sun, and beyond darkness-(he attains the supreme Person).

Swami Sivananda

8.9 Whosoever meditates on the Omniscient, the Ancient, the Ruler (of the whole world), minuter than an atom, the supporter of all, of inconceivable form, effulgent like the sun and beyond the darkness of ignorance.

Commentaries

Swami Sivananda

8.9 कविम् Omniscient? पुराणम् Ancient? अनुशासितारम् the Ruler (of the whole world)? अणोः than atom? अणीयांसम् minuter? अनुस्मरेत् remembers? यः who? सर्वस्य of all? धातारम् supporter? अचिन्त्यरूपम् one whose form is inconceivable? आदित्यवर्णम् effulgent like the sun? तमसः from the darkness (of ignorance)? परस्तात् beyond.Commentary Kavim The sage? seer or poet? the omniscient.The Lord dispenses the fruits of actions of the Jivas (individual souls). He is the Ruler of the world. It is very difficult to conceive the form of the Lord. He is selfluminous and He illumies everything like the sun.