परमं प्रकृष्टं महत् बृहत् तेज: चैतन्यलक्षणं सर्वावभास-कम्, 'येन सूर्यस्तपति तेजसेद्ध:' 'तं देवा ज्योतिषां ज्योति:'न तत्र सूर्यो भाति न चन्द्रतारकम्' इत्यादिश्रुतेः; 'यदा-दित्यगतं तेज:' इत्यादिस्मृतेश्च ।परमं तपः तपति आज्ञा-पयतीति तपः ।'य इमं च लोकं परं च लोकं सर्वाणि चभूतानि योऽन्तरो यमयति' इत्यन्तर्यामिब्राह्मणे सर्वनि-यन्तृत्वं श्रूयते ।'भीषास्माद्वातः पवते' इत्यादि तैत्तिरीयके ।तपति ईष्टे इति वा तपः ।तस्यैश्वर्यमनवच्छिन्नमिति मह-त्त्वम्, 'एष सर्वेश्वरः' इत्यादिश्रुतेः ।परमं सत्यादिलक्षणंपरं ब्रह्म महनीयतया महत् ।परमं प्रकृष्टं पुनरावृत्तिशङ्काव-र्जितम् ।परायणं परम् अयनं परायणम् ।परमग्रहणात् सर्वत्र
In plain words
"Supreme" means the most exalted. "Great" means vast and infinite. "Light" means pure consciousness that illuminates everything, as declared by the Upanishads: "By whom the sun shines, kindled by His light," "The gods revere Him as the light of lights," and "There the sun does not shine, nor the moon and stars." The Bhagavad Gita echoes this: "That light which resides in the sun..." He is called the "Supreme Tapas" because He commands and governs all. The Antaryami Brahmana reveals His universal rulership: "He who dwells within and controls this world, the beyond, and all beings." The Taittiriya Upanishad adds, "Out of fear of Him, the wind blows." Because He rules, He is Tapas. His sovereignty is boundless, which constitutes His "Greatness," as the scriptures say, "He is the Lord of all." The supreme Brahman, whose very nature is truth, is called "Great" because it is worthy of all adoration. "Supreme" signifies the highest state, entirely free from the fear of rebirth. "Parayanam" is the ultimate destination. The word "supreme" is used to show that this absolute excellence applies to all these names.
Close to the Sanskrit
"Supreme" means the most excellent. "Great" means vast. "Light" means characterized by consciousness and illuminating everything, from shruti texts like "By whom the sun shines, kindled by light," "The gods worship him as the light of lights," and "There the sun does not shine, nor the moon and stars," and from smriti texts like "That light which is in the sun..." "Supreme Tapas" means he heats or commands, thus he is Tapas. In the Antaryami Brahmana, his state of being the controller of all is heard: "He who, dwelling within, controls this world, the other world, and all beings." In the Taittiriya, "Out of fear of him the wind blows," etc. He heats or rules, thus he is Tapas. His sovereignty is unlimited, thus his greatness, from shrutis like "He is the Lord of all." The supreme Brahman, characterized by truth etc., is "Great" because it is worshipful. "Supreme" means most excellent, free from the fear of returning. "Parayanam" means the supreme goal. Because of the use of the word "supreme," it applies everywhere.