SB 10.87.20 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

स्वकृतपुरेष्वमीष्वबहिरन्तरसंवरणं तव पुरुषं वदन्त्यखिलशक्तिधृतोंऽशकृतम् । इति नृगतिं विविच्य कवयो निगमावपनं भवत उपासतेऽङ्‍‍घ्रिमभवं भुवि विश्वसिता: ॥ २० ॥

Verse text

sva-kṛta-pureṣv amīṣv abahir-antara-saṁvaraṇaṁ tava puruṣaṁ vadanty akhila-śakti-dhṛto ’ṁśa-kṛtam iti nṛ-gatiṁ vivicya kavayo nigamāvapanaṁ bhavata upāsate ’ṅghrim abhavam bhuvi viśvasitāḥ

Synonyms

sva — by himself ; kṛta — created ; pureṣu — in the bodies ; amīṣu — these ; abahiḥ — not externally ; antara — or internally ; saṁvaraṇam — whose factual envelopment ; tava — Your ; puruṣam — living entity ; vadanti — (the Vedas ) say ; akhila — of all ; śakti — energies ; dhṛtaḥ — of the possessor ; aṁśa — as the expansion ; kṛtam — manifested ; iti — in this manner ; nṛ — of the living entity ; gatim — the status ; vivicya — ascertaining ; kavayaḥ — learned sages ; nigama — of the Vedas ; āvapanam — the field in which all offerings are sown ; bhavataḥ — Your ; upāsate — they worship ; aṅghrim — the feet ; abhavam — which cause the cessation of material existence ; bhuvi — on the earth ; viśvasitāḥ — having developed faith .

Translation

The individual living entity, while inhabiting the material bodies he has created for himself by his karma, actually remains uncovered by either gross or subtle matter. This is so because, as the Vedas describe, he is part and parcel of You, the possessor of all potencies. Having determined this to be the status of the living entity, learned sages become imbued with faith and worship Your lotus feet, to which all Vedic sacrifices in this world are offered, and which are the source of liberation.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

The individual living entity, while inhabiting the material bodies he has created for himself by his karma, actually remains uncovered by either gross or subtle matter. This is so because, as the Vedas describe, he is part and parcel of You, the possessor of all potencies. Having determined this to be the status of the living entity, learned sages become imbued with faith and worship Your lotus feet, to which all Vedic sacrifices in this world are offered, and which are the source of liberation. KB 10.87.20 The personified Vedas continued to offer their obeisances. “Dear Lord,” they prayed, “after many, many births, those who have actually become wise take to the worship of Your lotus feet in complete knowledge.” This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā, wherein the Lord says that after many, many births a great soul, or mahātmā, surrenders unto the Lord, knowing well that Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, is the cause of all causes. The Vedas continued: “As already explained, since the mind, intelligence and senses have been given to us by God, when these instruments are actually purified there is no alternative but to engage them all in the devotional service of the Lord. A living entity’s entrapment in different species of life is due to the misapplication of his mind, intelligence and senses in material activities. Various kinds of bodies are awarded as the result of a living entity’s actions, and they are created by the material nature according to the living entity’s desire. Because a living entity desires and deserves a particular kind of body, it is given to him by the material nature, under the order of the Supreme Lord.” In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Third Canto, it is explained that under the control of superior authority a living entity is put within the semen of a male and injected into the womb of a particular female in order to develop a particular type of body. A living entity utilizes his senses, intelligence, mind and so on in a specific way of his own choosing and thus develops a particular type of body, within which he becomes encaged. In this way the living entity becomes situated in different species of life, either in a demigod, human or animal body, according to different situations and circumstances. It is explained in the Vedic literature that the living entities entrapped in different species of life are part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. The Māyāvādī philosophers mistake the living entity for the Paramātmā, who is actually sitting with the living entity as a friend. Because the Paramātmā (the localized aspect of the Supreme Personality of Godhead) and the individual living entity are both within the body, a misunderstanding sometimes takes place that there is no difference between the two. But there is a definite difference between the individual soul and the Supersoul, and it is explained in the Varāha Purāṇa as follows. The Supreme Lord has two kinds of parts and parcels: the living entity is called vibhinnāṁśa, and the Paramātmā, or the plenary expansion of the Supreme Lord, is called svāṁśa. The svāṁśa plenary expansion of the Supreme Personality is as powerful as the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. There is not even the slightest difference between the potency of the Supreme Person and that of His plenary expansion as Paramātmā. But the vibhinnāṁśa parts and parcels possess only a minute portion of the potencies of the Lord. The Nārada Paṣcarātra states that the living entities, who are the marginal potency of the Supreme Lord, are undoubtedly of the same quality of spiritual existence as the Lord Himself, but they are prone to be tinged with the material qualities. Because the minute living entity is prone to be subjected to the influence of material qualities, he is called jīva, and sometimes the Supreme Personality of Godhead is also known as Śiva, the all-auspicious one. So the difference between Śiva and jīva is that the all-auspicious Personality of Godhead is never affected by the material qualities whereas the minute portions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are prone to be affected by the qualities of material nature. The Supersoul within the body of a particular living entity, being a plenary portion of the Lord, is worshipable by the individual living entity. Great sages have therefore concluded that the process of meditation is designed so that the individual living entity may concentrate his attention on the lotus feet of the Supersoul form (Viṣṇu). That is real samādhi. The living entity cannot be liberated from material entanglement by his own effort. He must therefore take to the devotional service of the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord, or the Supersoul within himself. Śrīdhara Svāmī, the great commentator on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, has composed a nice verse in this regard, the meaning of which is as follows: “My dear Lord, I am eternally a part of You, but I have been entrapped by the material potencies, which are also an emanation from You. As the cause of all causes, You have entered my body as the Supersoul, and I have the prerogative of enjoying the supreme blissful life of knowledge along with You. Therefore, my dear Lord, please order me to render You loving service so that I can again be brought to my original position of transcendental bliss.” Great personalities understand that a living entity entangled in this material world cannot be freed by his own efforts. With firm faith and devotion, such great personalities engage themselves in rendering transcendental loving service to the Lord. That is the verdict of the personified Vedas.

Purport

Not only does the Supreme Lord remain totally uncontaminated when He resides within the material bodies of the conditioned souls, but even the infinitesimal jīva souls are never directly touched by the coverings of ignorance and lust they acquire while passing through repeated cycles of birth and death. Thus the Taittirīya Upaniṣad (3.10.5) proclaims, sa yaś cāyaṁ puruṣe yaś cāsāv āditye sa ekaḥ: “The soul of the embodied living being is one with Him who stands within the sun.” Similarly, the Chāndogya Upaniṣad (6.8.7) teaches, tat tvam asi: “You are nondifferent from that Supreme Truth.” In this prayer, the personified Vedas refer to the finite enjoyer of material bodies (the jīva soul) as an expansion of the transcendental reservoir of all potencies, the Supreme Lord. The term aṁśa-kṛtam, “made as His portion,” must be properly understood, however, in this context. The jīva is not created at any time, nor is he the same kind of expansion of the Lord as the omnipotent viṣṇu-tattva expansions. The Supreme Soul is the proper object of all worship, and the subordinate jīva soul is meant to be His worshiper. The Supreme Lord enacts His pastimes by showing Himself in innumerable aspects of His personality, whereas the jīva is forced to change bodies whenever his accumulated karmic reactions so dictate. According to Śrī Nārada Paṣcarātra: yat taṭa-sthaṁ tu cid-rūpaṁ sva-saṁvedyād vinirgatam raṣjitaṁ guṇa-rāgeṇa sa jīva iti kathyate “The marginal potency, who is spiritual by nature, who emanates from the self-cognizant saṁvit energy, and who becomes tainted by his attachment to the modes of material nature, is called the jīva. ” Although the jīva soul is also an expansion of Lord Kṛṣṇa, he is distinguished from Kṛṣṇa’s independent Viṣṇu expansions by his constitutional position on the margin between spirit and matter. As the Mahāvarāha Purāṇa explains, svāṁśaś cātha vibhinnāṁśa iti dvidhā śa iṣyate aṁśino yat tu sāmarthyaṁ yat-svarūpaṁ yathā sthitiḥ tad eva nāṇu-mātro ’pi bhedaṁ svāṁśāṁśinoḥ kvacit vibhinnāṁśo ’lpa-śaktiḥ syāt kiṣcit sāmarthya-mātra-yuk “The Supreme Lord is known in two ways: in terms of His plenary expansions and His separated expansions. Between the plenary expansions and Their source of expansion there is never any essential difference in terms of either Their capabilities, forms or situations. The separated expansions, on the other hand, possess only minute potency, being endowed only to a small extent with the Lord’s powers.” The conditioned soul in this world appears as if covered by matter, internally as well as externally. Externally, gross matter surrounds him in the forms of his body and environment, while internally desire and aversion impinge upon his consciousness. But from the transcendental perspective of realized sages, both kinds of material covering are insubstantial. By logically eliminating all material identities, which are misconceptions based on the soul’s gross and subtle coverings, a thoughtful person can determine that the soul is nothing material. Rather, he is a pure spark of divine spirit, a servant of the Supreme Godhead. Understanding this, one should worship the Supreme Lord’s lotus feet; such worship is the fully bloomed flower of the tree of Vedic rituals. One’s realization of the splendor of the Lord’s lotus feet, gradually nourished by the offering of Vedic sacrifices, automatically bears the fruits of liberation from material existence and irrevocable faith in the Lord’s mercy. One can accomplish all this while still living in the material world. As Lord Kṛṣṇa states in the Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad ( Uttara 47): mathurā-maṇḍale yas tu jambūdvīpe sthito ’tha vā yo ’rcayet pratimāṁ prati sa me priyataro bhuvi “One who worships Me in My Deity form while living in the district of Mathurā or, indeed, anywhere in Jambūdvīpa, becomes most dear to Me in this world.” Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī prays: tvad-aṁśasya mameśāna tvan-māyā-kṛta-bandhanam tvad-aṅghri-sevām ādiśya parānanda nivartaya “My Lord, please free me, Your partial expansion, from the bondage created by Your Māyā. Please do this, O abode of supreme bliss, by directing me to the service of Your feet.”

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Having established that paramatma was the object of worship, this verse established the position of the jiva as his worshipper, by his similarity to the paramatma. The enjoyer, (purusam) the jiva (in singular form to express a class), exists in all bodies of men and other creatures, created by their karma. They say that the jiva is created as if one of the parts of you, the holder of all energies. Actually the jiva is well known as the tatastha sakti, not an amsa, but he is similar to your expansion. Visnu purana says, visnu saktih para prokta ksetrajnakhya tatha para Thereh is the spiritual energy of Visnu and the knower of the body which is also spiritual. The Gita says, prakrtim viddhi me param jiva bhutam. Beyond this is another, superior energy, the jiva.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

After hearing the words of śrutis dedicated to the Lord with their descriptions of the purity of the Lord, in his portion as antaryāmī, some humble śrutis describe the conclusion of other śrutis who explained the jīva’s attaining the Lord’s mercy. The Vedas speak of the jīva (puruṣam), who is both different and non-different from you, in his various bodies created by you (as described in the previous verse). They are actually perfect as your aṁśas. The jīva must be described in this way and not otherwise. Gopāla-tāpanī says brāhmaṇo’ ṁśa-bhūtas tathetaro bhoktā bhavati: one is a portion of Brahman and enjoys the fruit and the other is the witness. “Why is it that the jīva can be aṁśa of the Lord but the Lord is said to be indivisible?” This is an eternal condition. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ: the living entities in this conditioned world are my eternal fragmental parts. (BG 15.7) Dvā suparṇā sayujā sakhāyaḥ: two companion birds sit together in the shelter of the same pippala tree. (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 4.6) The jīvas belong to the Lord who possess all powers (akhila-śakti-dhṛtaḥ). viṣṇu-śaktiḥ parā proktā kṣetra-jñākhyā tathā parā avidyā-karma-saṁjñānyā tṛtīyā śaktir The Lord has a superior energy, another energy called the jīva and a third energy, the material energy, called avidyā-karma. Viṣṇu Purāṇa. 6.7.61 bhūmir āpo ’nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā apareyam itas tv anyāṁ prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parām jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat Earth, water, fire, air, ether (as well as their sense objects), pradhāna, mahat-tattva, and false ego (with the ten senses) are my separated energy in eight divisions. This is my inferior energy. But understand my superior energy which is different from this inferior energy. It is the jīvas, who employ the inferior energy for their enjoyment. BG 7.4-5 etad-yonīni bhūtāni sarvāṇīty upadhāraya | ahaṁ kṛtsnasya jagataḥ prabhavaḥ pralayas tathā || Know that all things of the universe have their origin in these two energies, and that I am the origin and dissolution of the whole universe. mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya | mayi sarvam idaṁ protaṁ sūtre maṇi-gaṇā iva || There is nothing superior to me, O conqueror of wealth. Everything is in me as pearls are strung on a thread. BG 7.6-7 According the Gītā which indicates ultimately the svarūpa-śakti by indicating that he alone enables the superior and inferior prakṛtis to function, there are three śaktis. You possess these three śaktis (akhila-śakti-dhṛtaḥ), which have inconceivable influence as effects of the Lord. These śaktis of the Lord remain eternally, performing difficult tasks without any fault. Thus the jīvas, as products of your śakti, exist eternally. “Then the jīvas should also have powers like Matsyadeva. Without those powers, they are just like inert matter.” The jīva is permeated with your antaraṅga-svarūpa, devoid of māyā (abahir). Viṣṇu Purāṇa explains that the jīvas are like particles of light intermediate between the sun globe and the shadow. The sun represents Bhagavān and the jīva is his aṁśa, since it is his particular manifestation revealing a small amount of his śakti. The jīvas are sepaerated aṁśas since they are like rays of Matsya and other avatāras. Mahā-varāha Purāṇa says: svāṁśaś cātha vibhinnāṁśa iti dvedhāṁśa iṣyate | aṁśino yat tu sāmarthyaṁ yat svarūpaṁ yathā sthitiḥ || tad eva nāṇumātro’pi bhedaḥ svāṁśāṁśinoḥ kvacit | vibhinnāṁśo’lpa-śaktiḥ syāt kiñcit sāmarthya-mātra-yuk || There are two types of aṁśas: vibhinnāṁśa and svāṁśa. The svāṁśa expansions are unlimitedly powerful. Their form and personality are the same as Svayam Bhagavān. There is not the slightest difference between the svāṁśa expansions and Svayam Bhagavān. The vibhinnāṁśa expansions are very weak in comparison to them, having only a little power. The phrase may also be explained as follows. The jīva is not permeated with the kriyā-śakti or antar-jñāṇa-śakti, which are beyond māyā. As the sun is not covered by shadow, the avatāras like Matsya are not covered by māyā. The jīva, vibhinnāṁśa, like a ray of the sun, is covered. kṣetrajñāśaktiḥ sa tāratamyena vartate: the jīva or kṣetra-jña is surrounded by this prakṛti in various degrees. (Viṣṇu Purāṇa) Avidyā-karma-saṁjñānyā tṛtīyā śaktiḥ: the third energy, the material energy, called avidyā-karma. (Viṣṇu Purāṇa) That is because it produces actions of ignorance. yat taṭasthaṁ tu cid-rūpa sva-saṁvedyād vinirgatam rañjitaṁ guṇa-rāgeṇa sa jīva iti kathyate The jīva is defined as marginal, conscious, tinged with the guṇas, arising between the Lord’s spiritual and material energies. Viṣṇu Purāṇa The jīva is covered with the upādhi of māyā (aṁśa-kṛtam). This is further explained. According to the method explained, the wise, having faith in the nature of your aṁśa the jīva (nṛ-gatim), worship your feet since you are the aṁśī and the jīvas are insignificant. “There are other aṁśīs. They should also be worshipped.” Those feet are completely described in all the Vedas. The Vedas proclaim you as most worthy of worship, the ultimate meaning of the Vedas, and the highest goal. “Why are other forms not in a similar poisiton since they have limbs like you?” Since you are described in this way in the Vedas, you never take birth (abhavam). Or, your feet cause others not to take birth. Thus they of course are without birth. This is the best sādhana on earth (bhuvi). The chief śrutis also speak in the same way: māyāṁ tu prakṛtiṁ vidyān māyinam tu maheśvaram asyāvayava-bhūtaiś ca vyāptaṁ sarvam idaṁ jagat Know the material energy and its lord, the cause of māyā. The whole universe is spread with the products arising from his limbs. Śvetāśvarata Upaniṣad yo yoniṁ yonim adhitiṣṭhaty eko yasminn idam saṁ ca vicaiti sarvam | tam īśānaṁ varadaṁ devam īḍyaṁ nicāyyemāṁ śāntim atyantam eti || One who knows the generous and glorious Supreme Lord, who alone created the material world and in whom it enters at the end, attains perfect peace. Śvetāśvarata Upaniṣad Supporting evidence also is there: Sarve vedā yat padam āmanti All the Vedas describe the Supreme Lord’s feet.(Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.15) caraṇaṁ pavitraṁ vitataṁ purāṇaṁ yena pūtas tarati duṣkṛtāni We become pufified and can cross saṁsāra by that pure, ancient foot which extended itself. (Mahā-nārāyaṇa Upaniṣad)

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

They say that the jīva in various bodies created by karma is your aṁśa, a particle of consciousness with general functions of cit śakti by you inconceivable energy whose external kriyā-śakti and internal jñāna-śakti are limited. Mahā-varāha Purāṇa says: svāṁśaś cātha vibhinnāṁśa iti dvedhāṁśa iṣyate | aṁśino yat tu sāmarthyaṁ yat svarūpaṁ yathā sthitiḥ || tad eva nāṇumātro’pi bhedaḥ svāṁśāṁśinoḥ kvacit | vibhinnāṁśo’lpa-śaktiḥ syāt kiñcit sāmarthya-mātra-yuk || There are two types of aṁśas: vibhinnāṁśa and svāṁśa. The svāṁśa expansions are unlimitedly powerful. Their form and personality are the same as Svayam Bhagavān. There is not the slightest difference between the svāṁśa expansions and Svayam Bhagavān. The vibhinnāṁśa expansions are very weak in comparison to them, having only a little power. The svāṁśas are the avatāras. The vibhinnāṁśas are the jīvas. You have all powers. The jīvas are very different. Thus (iti) determining the nature of the jīva (different and non-different from the Lord), the wise (kavayaḥ) with faith worship your lotus feet while offering all karmas to you (nigamāvapanam) while you reside on earth (bhuvi). This indicates the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana. Or the wise say that the form of Nārāyaṇa (puruṣam), existing in his self-manifesting cities like Śvetadvīpa or Mahākāla is manifested as your aṁśa by your cit śakti. He is your special avatāra. Because of your manifestation everywhere, the wise, considering the goal of men, worship your lotus feet. Or they say that Nārāyaṇa situated in bodies of the individual and totality of jīvas, and in special Vaikuṇṭhas (svakṛta-pureṣu) is your aṁśa. ekaṁ tu mahataḥ sraṣṭṛ dvitīyaṁ tv aṇḍa-saṁsthitam tṛtīyaṁ sarvabhūta-sthaṁ tāni jñātvā vimucyate The first is the creator of mahat-tattva, the second resides within the universe, the third resides within all living entities. One who knows them becomes liberated. The three puruṣas are your aṁśas. Those who know scriptures say the puruṣa is manifested by the cit śakti as your aṁśa. You possess all śaktis like līlā and saṁvit śaktis. These three puruṣas are not limited externally by form and internally with knowledge. Because of this (iti), considering your presence as antaryāmī in jīvas (nṛgatim), gaining faith by scripture and realization, the wise serve your lotus feet in their hearts (bhuvi). Those feet are the shelter or support of all the Vedas (nigamāvapanam) and they destroy saṁsāra (abhavam).