ŚB 10.20.4
Devanagari
सान्द्रनीलाम्बुदैर्व्योम सविद्युत्स्तनयित्नुभि: ।
अस्पष्टज्योतिराच्छन्नं ब्रह्मेव सगुणं बभौ ॥ ४ ॥
अस्पष्टज्योतिराच्छन्नं ब्रह्मेव सगुणं बभौ ॥ ४ ॥
Verse text
sāndra-nīlāmbudair vyoma
sa-vidyut-stanayitnubhiḥ
aspaṣṭa-jyotir ācchannaṁ
brahmeva sa-guṇaṁ babhau
sa-vidyut-stanayitnubhiḥ
aspaṣṭa-jyotir ācchannaṁ
brahmeva sa-guṇaṁ babhau
Synonyms
sāndra — dense; nīla — blue; ambudaiḥ — by the clouds; vyoma — the sky; sa-vidyut — along with lightning; stanayitnubhiḥ — and thunder; aspaṣṭa — diffuse; jyotiḥ — its illumination; ācchannam — covered; brahma — the spirit soul; iva — as if; sa-guṇam — with the material qualities of nature; babhau — was manifest.
Translation
The sky was then covered by dense blue clouds accompanied by lightning and thunder. Thus the sky and its natural illumination were covered in the same way that the spirit soul is covered by the three modes of material nature.
Purport
Lightning is compared to the mode of goodness, thunder to the mode of passion, and clouds to the mode of ignorance. Thus the cloudy sky at the onset of the rainy season is analogous to the pure spirit soul when he becomes disturbed by the modes of nature, for at that time he is covered and his original brilliant nature is only dimly reflected through the haze of the material qualities.