Devanagari
स एव स्वप्रकृत्येदं सृष्ट्वाग्रे त्रिगुणात्मकम् ।
तदनु त्वं ह्यप्रविष्ट: प्रविष्ट इव भाव्यसे ॥ १४ ॥
Verse text
sa eva svaprakṛtyedaṁ
sṛṣṭvāgre tri-guṇātmakam
tad anu tvaṁ hy apraviṣṭaḥ
praviṣṭa iva bhāvyase
Synonyms
saḥ
—
He (the Supreme Personality of Godhead)
;
eva
—
indeed
;
sva
—
prakṛtyā — by Your personal energy ( mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram )
;
idam
—
this material world
;
sṛṣṭvā
—
after creating
;
agre
—
in the beginning
;
tri
—
guṇa — ātmakam — made of three modes of energy ( sattva-rajas-tamo-guṇa )
;
tat anu
—
thereafter
;
tvam
—
Your Lordship
;
hi
—
indeed
;
apraviṣṭaḥ
—
although You did not enter
;
praviṣṭaḥ iva
—
You appear to have entered
;
bhāvyase
—
are so understood .
Translation
My Lord, You are the same person who in the beginning created this material world by His personal external energy. After the creation of this world of three guṇas [sattva, rajas and tamas], You appear to have entered it, although in fact You have not.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
My Lord, You are the same person who in the beginning created this material world by His personal external energy. After the creation of this world of three guṇas [sattva, rajas and tamas], You appear to have entered it, although in fact You have not.
Purport
In
Bhagavad-gītā
(7.4)
the Supreme Personality of Godhead clearly explains:
bhūmir āpo ’nalo vāyuḥ
khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca
ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me
bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā
This material world of three modes of nature —
sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa
and
tamo-guṇa
— is a composition of earth, water, fire, air, mind, intelligence and false ego, all of which are energies coming from Kṛṣṇa, yet Kṛṣṇa, being always transcendental, is aloof from this material world. Those who are not in pure knowledge think that Kṛṣṇa is a product of matter and that His body is material like ours (
avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ
). In fact, however, Kṛṣṇa is always aloof from this material world.
In the Vedic literature, we find the creation described in relationship to Mahā-Viṣṇu. As stated in the
Brahma-saṁhitā
(5.35)
:
eko ’py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṇḍa-koṭiṁ
yac-chaktir asti jagad-aṇḍa-cayā yad-antaḥ
aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-sthaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
“I worship the primeval Lord, Govinda, the original Personality of Godhead. By His partial plenary expansion as Mahā-Viṣṇu, He enters into material nature. Then He enters every universe as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, and He enters all the elements, including every atom of matter, as Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. Such manifestations of cosmic creation are innumerable, both in the universes and in the individual atoms.” Govinda is partially exhibited as
antaryāmī,
the Supersoul, who enters this material world (
aṇḍāntara-stha
) and who is also within the atom. The
Brahma-saṁhitā
(5.48)
further says:
yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya
jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ
viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
This verse describes Mahā-Viṣṇu as a plenary expansion of Kṛṣṇa. Mahā-Viṣṇu lies on the Causal Ocean, and when He exhales, millions of
brahmāṇḍas,
or universes, come from the pores of His body. Then, when Mahā-Viṣṇu inhales, all these
brahmāṇḍas
disappear. Thus the millions of
brahmāṇḍas
controlled by the Brahmās and other demigods come and go in this material world through the breathing of Mahā-Viṣṇu.
Foolish persons think that when Kṛṣṇa appears as the son of Vasudeva, He is limited like an ordinary child. But Vasudeva was aware that although the Lord had appeared as his son, the Lord had not entered Devakī’s womb and then come out. Rather, the Lord was always there. The Supreme Lord is all-pervading, present within and without.
Praviṣṭa iva bhāvyase:
He only seemed to have entered the womb of Devakī and to have now appeared as Vasudeva’s child. The expression of this knowledge by Vasudeva indicates that Vasudeva knew how these events took place. Vasudeva was certainly a devotee of the Lord in full knowledge, and we must learn from devotees like him.
Bhagavad-gītā
(4.34)
therefore recommends:
tad viddhi praṇipātena
paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jṣānaṁ
jṣāninas tattva-darśinaḥ
“Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.” Vasudeva begot the Supreme Personality of Godhead, yet he was in full knowledge of how the Supreme Lord appears and disappears. He was therefore
tattva-darśī,
a seer of the truth, because he personally saw how the Supreme Absolute Truth appeared as his son. Vasudeva was not in ignorance, thinking that because the Supreme Godhead had appeared as his son, the Lord had become limited. The Lord is unlimitedly existing and all-pervading, inside and outside. Thus there is no question of His appearance or disappearance.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
"O father, you know that I have been born with limitation in your house. But do you know the truth about me?" To destroy this doubt, Vasudeva expresses his realization. Sa eva means "That form of yours about which I previously spoke, that is you." "You create this universe by your material energy and seem to enter and not enter simultaneously. Because you are seen inside the universe, we cannot say that you do not enter. Because you are seen outside the universe, we cannot say you do not enter there. You seemed to have entered my house, as you are also present everywhere. You seemed have been born, but we also cannot say that, because you are always existing. Thus I know that Kamsa cannot do anything to you, as you are all pervading."
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
In order to hide the fact that the Lord has become his son, in four verses, out of humility he indicates that the Lord does not enter the world even though contrary statements have already been made. “Devakī then kept within herself the Supreme Lord, the cause of all causes, the foundation of the entire cosmos.” (SB 10.2.19) “O Devakī, by your good fortune and ours, the Supreme Lord with all his plenary portions, such as Baladeva, is now within your womb.” (SB 10.2.41) Because you are pervading everywhere, you make an appearance but you do not enter. But the real meaning is “I have attained you as the Lord, and also as my son.”
According to my previously stated realizations you are Svayam Bhagavān. Because of this, you do not enter matter. It is impossible. “You do not enter” has the sense of “being unbearable” as in the verb parājī which means “to conquer and to find unbearable” as in parājerasoḍhaḥ. (Pāṇini 1.43.26) In spite of this, you have certainly entered the womb of Devakī because of your nature, because you are controlled by prema, and because you have inconceivable śakti (sva-prakṛtyā). An example is given. Previously as Kāraṇārṇava-śāyī, you created the universe of three guṇas and then as Garbodhakaśāyī, you entered into the universe. Though this is not completely applicable to the present situation, since you entered the universe, why can you not enter Devakī’s womb? Though you entered the universe because of the bhakti of Brahmā and others, this cannot be prema, since the universe is gross matter. And you do not touch the universe since it is made of the three guṇas. Thus you are indifferent to it. Thus, though you have entered, it is as if you did not enter. This is proper since matter is opposite of your nature.
My case is similar. I have attained you as my son, since you entered her womb in your spiritual form. You have not entered but seemed to have entered her. As you have entered elsewhere, in that manner you have done in this case also (bhāvyase). It is said: na cāntar na bahir yasya na pūrvaṁ nāpi cāparam: the Lord is not inside or outside and does not have past or future. (SB 10.9.13) Though you are the supreme truth, you show your form within a small area because of prema for your devotees and by that, you give them bliss. Even those who experience Brahman derive bliss from this form. The only cause is your inconceivable śakti which acts like a jewel, mantra or special herb. Because of that śakti, instigated by your devotees’ prema, you enter her womb while absorbed in bliss, engaging in pastimes like a human, acting like her son. Thus the Lord fulfilled is promise to his devotee. It should be remembered that Devakī did austerities even in this life to gain the Lord as he son. Now she attained him. This is mentioned in Viṣṇu-dharmottara.
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
Just as you created the universe made of three guṇas and entered it, so you seem to have entered Devakī as her son by your inconceivable energy, yet you have not entered.
You become Devakī’s son. Though you create the universe (eva), out your nature of affection (sva-prakṛtyā), you seemed to have entered my house or Devakī’s womb. The word iva suggests that Lord actually does not enter by meditation. Or iva is just a figure of speech. Though (hi) you do not enter after creating the universe (anu), you seem to enter.