Devanagari
अहं हि सर्वभूतानामादिरन्तोऽन्तरं बहि: ।
भौतिकानां यथा खं वार्भूर्वायुर्ज्योतिरङ्गना: ॥ ४५ ॥
Verse text
ahaṁ hi sarva-bhūtānām
ādir anto ’ntaraṁ bahiḥ
bhautikānāṁ yathā khaṁ vār
bhūr vāyur jyotir aṅganāḥ
Synonyms
aham
—
I
;
hi
—
indeed
;
sarva
—
all
;
bhūtānām
—
of created beings
;
ādiḥ
—
the beginning
;
antaḥ
—
the end
;
antaram
—
inside
;
bahiḥ
—
outside
;
bhautikānām
—
of material things
;
yathā
—
as
;
kham
—
ether
;
vāḥ
—
water
;
bhūḥ
—
earth
;
vāyuḥ
—
air
;
jyotiḥ
—
and fire
;
aṅganāḥ
—
O ladies .
Translation
Dear ladies, I am the beginning and end of all created beings and exist both within and without them, just as the elements ether, water, earth, air and fire are the beginning and end of all material objects and exist both within and without them.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Dear ladies, I am the beginning and end of all created beings and exist both within and without them, just as the elements ether, water, earth, air and fire are the beginning and end of all material objects and exist both within and without them.
KB 10.82.45
“My dear gopī friends, you may know from Me that it is My energies only which are acting everywhere. Take, for example, an earthen pot. It is nothing but a combination of earth, water, air, fire and sky. It is always of the same physical composition, whether in its beginning, during its existence or after its annihilation. When it is created, the earthen pot is made of earth, water, fire, air and sky, while it remains it is the same in composition, and when it is broken and annihilated its different ingredients are conserved in different parts of the material energy. Similarly, at the creation of this cosmic manifestation, during its maintenance and after its dissolution, everything is but a different manifestation of My energy. And because the energy is not separate from Me, it is to be concluded that I am existing in everything.
Purport
According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī and Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, Lord Kṛṣṇa implies the following idea in this verse: “If you know that I am the Supreme Lord, there should be no question of your suffering any separation from Me, since I pervade all existence. Your unhappiness must be due to a lack of discrimination. Therefore please take this instruction from Me, which will remove your ignorance.
“But the truth of the matter is that you
gopīs
were in your previous lives great masters of
yoga,
and thus you must already know this science of
jṣāna-yoga.
Furthermore, whether I try to teach this to you in person or through My representative, such as Uddhava, it will not produce the desired result.
Jṣāna-yoga
simply causes suffering for those who are fully immersed in pure love of Godhead.”
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
"If you know that I am the lord, then you should not have any suffering in separation from me. You have fallen into sorrow because of your lack of discrimination. Therefore learn from me how to destroy your lack of discrimination." Thus he speaks this verse.
"O great lord of yoga, residing in all the three worlds, please put aside that knowledge which destroys sorrow about which you now speak."
Then, informing the gopis that actually this knowledge taught by Uddhava and even now taught directly by the Lord, is useless because it does not destroy sorrow for those on the level of prema , he speaks that knowledge.
" I am the beginning and end, the inside and outside of all entities—devas, men and animals, just the five elements exist withn all bodies from beginning to end, O young women ( anganah)! (Being women, you do not know this truth I am speaking.)"
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
“But why is prema the cause of attaining you?” Because I am the shelter of everything, I alone am suitable for prema, and prema is suitable to attain me. Two verses explain this. This means that very quickly you will attain me eternally. Or the gopīs may ask, “Why is there such long separation like this?” Then two verses explain. There is a similar statement in the Dāmodara pastimes. Na cāntar na bahir yasya: the Supreme Lord has no beginning and no end. (SB 10.9.12) Certainly endowed with my beautiful form, I am the cause (ādi) and the place of dissolution (antaḥ). I am spread in the middle (antaram). I spread throughout you, and remain there. Actually separation does not exist. O beautiful women! He shows his prema for them by noting their beauty and qualities.
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
“Then why is there such long separation?” Two verses explain. I alone (hi) and not māyā am the cause (ādi), middle and resting place of creation. I pervade everywhere and thus am situated with you. I cannot give you up because you have such great beauty. O beautiful women (aṅganāḥ)!