Devanagari
पादेषु सर्वभूतानि पुंस: स्थितिपदो विदु: ।
अमृतं क्षेममभयं त्रिमूर्ध्नोऽधायि मूर्धसु ॥ १९ ॥
Verse text
pādeṣu sarva-bhūtāni
puṁsaḥ sthiti-pado viduḥ
amṛtaṁ kṣemam abhayaṁ
tri-mūrdhno ’dhāyi mūrdhasu
Synonyms
pādeṣu
—
in the one fourth
;
sarva
—
all
;
bhūtāni
—
living entities
;
puṁsaḥ
—
of the Supreme Person
;
sthiti
—
padaḥ — the reservoir of all material opulence
;
viduḥ
—
you should know
;
amṛtam
—
deathlessness
;
kṣemam
—
all happiness, free from the anxiety of old age, diseases, etc.
;
abhayam
—
fearlessness
;
tri
—
mūrdhnaḥ — beyond the three higher planetary systems
;
adhāyi
—
exist
;
mūrdhasu
—
beyond the material coverings .
Translation
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is to be known as the supreme reservoir of all material opulences by the one fourth of His energy in which all the living entities exist. Deathlessness, fearlessness and freedom from the anxieties of old age and disease exist in the kingdom of God, which is beyond the three higher planetary systems and beyond the material coverings.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The wise know that the living beings are situated within the portions designated by the Lord, whose feet protect all places. Eternity, absence of sickness, and absence of fear of committing offense are fixed in the spiritual world situated above the three guṇas.
Purport
Out of the total manifestations of the
sandhinī
energy of the Lord, one fourth is displayed in the material world, and three fourths are displayed in the spiritual world. The Lord’s energy is divided into three component parts, namely
sandhinī, saṁvit
and
hlādinī;
in other words, He is the full manifestation of existence, knowledge and bliss. In the material world such a sense of existence, knowledge and pleasure is meagerly exhibited, and all living entities, who are minute parts and parcels of the Lord, are eligible to relish such consciousness of existence, knowledge and bliss very minutely in the liberated stage, whereas in the conditioned stage of material existence they can hardly appreciate what is the factual, existential, cognizable and pure happiness of life. The liberated souls, who exist in far greater numerical strength than those souls in the material world, can factually experience the potency of the above-mentioned
sandhinī, saṁvit
and
hlādinī
energies of the Lord in the matter of deathlessness, fearlessness and freedom from old age and disease.
In the material world, the planetary systems are arranged in three spheres, called
triloka,
or Svarga, Martya and Pātāla, and all of them constitute only one fourth of the total
sandhinī
energy. Beyond that is the spiritual sky where the Vaikuṇṭha planets exist beyond the coverings of seven material strata. In none of the
triloka
planetary systems can one experience the status of immortality, full knowledge and full bliss. The upper three planetary systems are called
sāttvika
planets because they provide facilities for a long duration of life and relative freedom from disease and old age, as well as a sense of fearlessness. The great sages and saints are promoted beyond the heavenly planets to Maharloka, but that also is not the place of complete fearlessness because at the end of one
kalpa
the Maharloka is annihilated and the inhabitants have to transport themselves to still higher planets. Yet even on these planets no one is immune to death. There may be a comparative extension of life, expansion of knowledge and sense of full bliss, but factual deathlessness, fearlessness and freedom from old age, diseases, etc., are possible only beyond the material spheres of the coverings of the material sky. Such things are situated on the head (
adhāyi mūrdhasu
).
Commentary (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Two verses distinguish the material and spiritual vibhūtis. The wise know that all living beings, whether conditioned or liberated, reside within either the material or spiritual portions (pādeṣu) of the Lord, whose feet (padaḥ) act as the protector (sthiti) of all planets. In the places in the spiritual sky, situated above (mūrdhasu) the topmost places of the three guṇas, above the coverings of the universe (tri-mūdhnoḥ), there is no death (amrṭam), no sickness (kṣemam), and no fear arising from offenses to the Lord among the persons there. Absence of fear from time is already covered in the word amṛtam. This is established (adhāyi) there. In the place of the three guṇas, death, sickness and fear of offense are well established. One should understand that the material world is temporary and the spiritual world is eternal. The spiritual world will be described later. Na ca kāla-vikramaḥ na yatra māyā: in the spiritual world there is no influence of time or māyā. (SB 2.9.10)
This verse explains the Puruṣa-sūkta phrases pādo ’sya viśvā-bhūtāni tripādasyāmṛtaṁ divi: the living entities of the universe are one quarter and in the spiritual world of three parts everything is eternal. Pādo ’sya, the place and the living entities are linked with a copula verb because of non-difference between the place and the person residing. Tripādasya is in the singular to express the whole. In the spiritual place (divi) there is eternity situated in his place of three vibhūtis.