Copyright © r The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
| Canto 5: The Creative Impetus | Chapter 12: Conversation Between Mahārāja Rahūgana and Jada Bharata |
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 5.12.10
evam kriśam sthūlam anur brihad yad
asac ca saj jīvam ajīvam anyat
dravya-svabhāvāśaya-kāla-karma-
SYNONYMS
evam — thus; kriśam — skinny or short; sthūlam — fat; anuh — tiny; brihat — big; yat — which; asat — impermanent; ca — and; sat — existing; jīvam — the living entities; ajīvam — inanimate, lifeless matter; anyat — other causes; dravya — phenomena; sva-bhāva — nature; āśaya — disposition; kāla — time; karma — activities; nāmnā — only by such names; ajayā — by material nature; avehi — you should understand; kritam — done; dvitīyam — duality.
TRANSLATION
Since this universe has no real ultimate existence, the things within it — shortness, differences, grossness, skinniness, smallness, bigness, result, cause, living symptoms, and materials — are all imagined. They are all pots made of the same substance, earth, but they are named differently. The differences are characterized by the substance, nature, predisposition, time and activity. You should know that all these are simply mechanical manifestations created by material nature.
PURPORT
The temporary manifestations and varieties within this material world are simply creations of material nature under various circumstances: prakriteh kriyamāna-ni gunaih karmāni sarvaśah. The actions and reactions carried out by the material nature are sometimes accepted as our scientific inventions; therefore we want to take credit for them and defy the existence of God. This is described in Bhagavad-gītā (3.27), ahańkāra-vimūdhātmā kartāham iti manyate: due to being covered by the illusory external energy, the living entity tries to take credit for the differentiated creations within the material world. Actually all these are being created automatically by the material force set in motion by the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore the ultimate cause is the Supreme Person. As stated in Brahma-samhitā:
anādir ādir govindah
[Bs. 5.1]
He is the cause of all causes, the ultimate cause. In this regard Śrīla Madhvācārya says: evam sarvam tathā prakritvayai kalpitam vishnor anyat. evam prakrityādhārah svayam ananyādhāro vishnur eva atah sarva-śabdāś ca tasminn eva. Actually the original cause is Lord Vishnu, but out of ignorance people think that matter is the cause of everything.
tayor brahmāśrayo vibhuh
Things are contemplated on the ephemeral or external platform, but actually this is not the truth. The actual protector and shelter of everyone is Brahman, the Supreme, not the king.
atah sarvāśrayaiś caiva
The actual protectress is the material nature, but Vishnu is her Lord. He is the Lord of everything. Lord Janārdana is the director both externally and internally. He is the cause of the function of words and what is expressed in all sound.
śirasodhāratā yadvad
āśrayatvam ca goptritvam
anyeshām upacāratah
Lord Vishnu is the resting place of the entire creation: brahmano hi pratishthāham (Bg. 14.27). On Brahman, everything is resting. All the universes are resting on the brahmajyoti, and all the planets are resting on the universal atmosphere. In each and every planet there are oceans, hills, states and kingdoms, and each planet is giving shelter to so many living entities. They are all standing on the earth of feet and legs, torso and shoulders, but actually everything is resting ultimately on the potencies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore He is known ultimately as sarva-kārana-kāranam [Bs. 5.1], the cause of all causes.
Copyright © r The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness