Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.6.8

eṣa hy aśeṣa-sattvānām

ātmāḿśaḥ paramātmanaḥ

ādyo 'vatāro yatrāsau

bhūta-grāmo vibhāvyate

SYNONYMS

eṣaḥ — this; hi — certainly; aśeṣa — unlimited; sattvānām — living entities; ātmā — Self; aḿśaḥ — part; parama-ātmanaḥ — of the Supersoul; ādyaḥ — the first; avatāraḥ — incarnation; yatra — whereupon; asau — all those; bhūta-grāmaḥ — the aggregate creations; vibhāvyate — flourish.

TRANSLATION

The gigantic universal form of the Supreme Lord is the first incarnation and plenary portion of the Supersoul. He is the Self of an unlimited number of living entities, and in Him rests the aggregate creation, which thus flourishes.

PURPORT

The Supreme Lord expands Himself in two ways, by personal plenary expansions and separated minute expansions. The personal plenary expansions are viṣṇu-tattvas, and the separated expansions are living entities. Since the living entities are very small, they are sometimes described as the marginal energy of the Lord. But the mystic yogīs consider the living entities and the Supersoul, Paramātmā, to be one and the same. It is, however, a minor point of controversy; after all, everything created rests on the gigantic virāṭ or universal form of the Lord.

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