Canto 7: The Science of GodChapter 14: Ideal Family Life

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 7.14.37

purāny anena srishtāni

nri-tiryag-rishi-devatāh

śete jīvena rūpena

pureshu purusho hy asau

SYNONYMS

purāni — residential places or bodies; anena — by Him (the Supreme Personality of Godhead); srishtāni — among those creations; nriman; tiryak — other than human beings (animals, birds, etc); rishi — saintly persons; devatāh — and demigods; śete — lies down; jīvena — with the living entities; rūpenain the form of Paramātmā; pureshu — within these residential places or bodies; purushah — the Supreme Lord; hi — indeed; asauHe (the Personality of Godhead).

TRANSLATION

The Supreme Personality of Godhead has created many residential places like the bodies of human beings, animals, birds, saints and demigods. In all of these innumerable bodily forms, the Lord resides with the living being as Paramātmā. Thus He is known as the purushāvatāra.

PURPORT

In Bhagavad-gītā (18.61) it is said:

īśvarah sarva-bhūtānām

hrid-deśe 'rjuna tishthati

bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni

yantrārūdhāni māyayā

"The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy." The living entity, who is part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, exists on the mercy of the Lord, who is always with him in any form of body. The living entity desires a particular type of material enjoyment, and thus the Lord supplies him with a body, which is like a machine. Just to keep him alive in that body, the Lord remains with him as the purusha (Kshīrodakaśāyī Vishnu). This is also confirmed in Brahma-samhitā (5.35):

eko 'py asau racayitum jagad-anda-kotim

yac-chaktir asti jagad-anda-cayā yad-antah

andāntara-stha-paramānu-cayāntara-stham

govindam ādi-purusham tam aham bhajāmi

"I worship the Personality of Godhead, Govinda, who enters the existence of every universe and every atom by one of His plenary portions and thus manifests His infinite energy throughout the material creation." The living entity, being part and parcel of the Lord, is known as jīva. The Supreme Lord purusha remains with the jīva to enable him to enjoy material facilities.

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