Canto 7: The Science of GodChapter 9: Prahlāda Pacifies Lord Nrisimhadeva with Prayers

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 7.9.30

ekas tvam eva jagad etam amushya yat tvam

ādy-antayoh prithag avasyasi madhyataś ca

srishtvā guna-vyatikaram nija-māyayedam

nāneva tair avasitas tad anupravishtah

SYNONYMS

ekah — one; tvam — You; eva — only; jagat — the cosmic manifestation; etam — this; amushya — of that (the whole universe); yatsince; tvam — You; ādiin the beginning; antayoh — at the end; prithak — separately; avasyasi — exist (as the cause); madhyatah ca — also in the middle (the duration between the beginning and end); srishtvā — creating; guna-vyatikaram — the transformation of the three modes of material nature; nija-māyayā — by Your own external energy; idam — this; nānā iva — like many varieties; taih — by them (the modes); avasitah — experienced; tat — that; anupravishtah — entering into.

TRANSLATION

My dear Lord, You alone manifest Yourself as the entire cosmic manifestation, for You existed before the creation, You exist after the annihilation, and You are the maintainer between the beginning and the end. All this is done by Your external energy through actions and reactions of the three modes of material nature. Therefore whatever exists — externally and internally — is You alone.

PURPORT

As stated in the 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, by one of His plenary portions, enters the existence of every universe and every atomic particle and thus unlimitedly manifests His infinite energy all over the material creation." To create this cosmic manifestation, Govinda, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, expands His external energy and thus enters everything in the universe, including the atomic particles. In this way He exists in the entire cosmic manifestation. Therefore the activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in maintaining His devotees are transcendental, not material. He exists in everything as the cause and effect, yet He is separate, existing beyond this cosmic manifestation. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (9.4):

mayā tatam idam sarvam

jagad avyakta-mūrtinā

mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni

na cāham teshv avasthitah

The entire cosmic manifestation is but an expansion of the Lord's energy; everything rests in Him, yet He exists separately, beyond creation, maintenance and annihilation. The varieties of creation are performed by His external energy. Because the energy and energetic are one, everything is one (sarvam khalv idam brahma). Therefore without Krishna, the Parabrahman, nothing can exist. The difference between the material and spiritual worlds is that His external energy is manifested in the material world whereas His spiritual energy exists in the spiritual world. Both energies, however, belong to the Supreme Lord, and therefore in a higher sense there is no exhibition of material energy because everything is spiritual energy. The energy in which the Lord's all-pervasiveness is not realized is called material. Otherwise, everything is spiritual. Therefore Prahlāda prays, ekas tvam eva jagad etam: "You are everything.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness