Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 7: “The Science of God”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Chapter Nine

SB7.9.23

TEXT 23

drsta maya divi vibho ’khila-dhisnya-panam

ayuh sriyo vibhava icchati yan jano ’yam

ye ’smat pituh kupita-hasa-vijrmbhita-bhru-

visphurjitena lulitah sa tu te nirastah

SYNONYMS

drstah—have been seen practically; maya—by me; divi—in the higher planetary systems; vibho—O my Lord; akhila—all; dhisnya-panam—of the chiefs of different states or planets; ayuh—the duration of life; sriyah—the opulences; vibhavah—glories, influence; icchati—desire; yan—all of which; janah ayam—these people in general; ye—all of which (duration of life, opulence, etc.); asmat pituh—of our father, Hiranyakasipu; kupita-hasa—by his critical laughing when angry; vijrmbhita—being expanded; bhru—of the eyebrows; visphurjitena—simply by the feature; lulitah—pulled down or finished; sah—he (my father); tu—but; te—by You; nirastah—completely vanquished.

TRANSLATION

My dear Lord, people in general want to be elevated to the higher planetary systems for a long duration of life, opulence and enjoyment, but I have seen all of these through the activities of my father. When my father was angry and he laughed sarcastically at the demigods, they were immediately vanquished simply by seeing the movements of his eyebrows. Yet my father, who was so powerful, has now been vanquished by You within a moment.

PURPORT

Within this material world, one should understand by practical experience the value of material opulence, longevity and influence. We have actual experience that even on this planet there have been many great politicians and military commanders like Napoleon, Hitler, Shubhash Chandra Bose and Gandhi, but as soon as their lives were finished, their popularity, influence and everything else were finished also. Prahlada Maharaja formerly gathered the same experience by seeing the activities of Hiranyakasipu, his great father. Therefore Prahlada Maharaja did not give any importance to anything in this material world. No one can maintain his body or material achievements forever. A Vaisnava can understand that nothing within this material world, not even that which is powerful, opulent or influential, can endure. At any time such things may be vanquished. And who can vanquish them? The Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore one should conclusively understand that no one is greater than the Supreme Great. Since the Supreme Great demands, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66], every intelligent man must agree to this proposal. One must surrender unto the Lord to be saved from the wheel of repeated birth, death, old age and disease.

SB7.9.24

TEXT 24

tasmad amus tanu-bhrtam aham asiso ’jna

ayuh sriyam vibhavam aindriyam avirincyat

necchami te vilulitan uruvikramena

kalatmanopanaya mam nija-bhrtya-parsvam

SYNONYMS

tasmat—therefore; amuh—all those (opulences); tanu-bhrtam—with reference to living entities possessing material bodies; aham—I; asisah ajnah—knowing well the results of such benedictions; ayuh—a long duration of life; sriyam—material opulences; vibhavam—influence and glories; aindriyam—all meant for sense gratification; avirincyat—beginning from Lord Brahma (down to the small ant); na—not; icchami—I want; te—by You; vilulitan—subject to be finished; uru-vikramena—who are extremely powerful; kala-atmana—as the master of the time factor; upanaya—kindly take to; mam—me; nija-bhrtya-parsvam—the association of Your faithful servant, Your devotee.

TRANSLATION

My dear Lord, now I have complete experience concerning the worldly opulence, mystic power, longevity and other material pleasures enjoyed by all living entities, from Lord Brahma down to the ant. As powerful time, You destroy them all. Therefore, because of my experience, I do not wish to possess them. My dear Lord, I request You to place me in touch with Your pure devotee and let me serve him as a sincere servant.

PURPORT

By studying Srimad-Bhagavatam, every intelligent man can get experience like that of Prahlada Maharaja through the historical incidents mentioned in this great literature of spiritual knowledge. By following in the footsteps of Prahlada Maharaja, one should gain thorough experience that all material opulence is perishable at every moment. Even this body, for which we try to acquire so many sensual pleasures, may perish at any time. The soul, however, is eternal. Na hanyate hanyamane sarire: [Bg. 2.20] the soul is never vanquished, even when the body is destroyed. An intelligent man, therefore, should care for the happiness of the spirit soul, not of the body. Even if one receives a body with a long duration of life, like those of Lord Brahma and the other great demigods, it will also be destroyed, and therefore an intelligent man should be concerned with the imperishable spirit soul.

To save oneself, one must take shelter of a pure devotee. Narottama dasa Thakura therefore says, chadiya vaisnava-seva nistara payeche keba. If one wants to save himself from material nature’s onslaughts, which arise because of the material body, one must become Krsna conscious and try to fully understand Krsna. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (4.9), janma karma ca me divyam evam yo vetti tattvatah. One should understand Krsna in truth, and this one can do only by serving a pure devotee. Thus Prahlada Maharaja prays that Lord Nrsimhadeva place him in touch with a pure devotee and servant instead of awarding him material opulence. Every intelligent man within this material world must follow Prahlada Maharaja. Mahajano yena gatah sa panthah. Prahlada Maharaja did not want to enjoy the estate left by his father; rather, he wanted to become a servant of the servant of the Lord. The illusory human civilization that perpetually endeavors for happiness through material advancement is rejected by Prahlada Maharaja and those who strictly follow in his footsteps.

There are different types of material opulence, known technically as bhukti, mukti and siddhi. Bhukti refers to being situated in a very good position, like a position with the demigods in the higher planetary systems, where one can enjoy material sense gratification to the greatest extent. Mukti refers to being disgusted with material advancement and thus desiring to become one with the Supreme. Siddhi refers to executing a severe type of meditation, like that of the yogis, to attain eight kinds of perfection (anima, laghima, mahima, etc.). All who desire some material advancement through bhukti, mukti or siddhi are punishable in due course of time, and they return to material activities. Prahlada Maharaja rejected them all; he simply wanted to engage as an apprentice under the guidance of a pure devotee.

SB7.9.25

TEXT 25

kutrasisah sruti-sukha mrgatrsni-rupah

kvedam kalevaram asesa-rujam virohah

nirvidyate na tu jano yad apiti vidvan

kamanalam madhu-lavaih samayan durapaih

SYNONYMS

kutra—where; asisah—benedictions; sruti-sukhah—simply pleasing to hear of; mrgatrsni-rupah—exactly like a mirage in the desert; kva—where; idam—this; kalevaram—body; asesa—unlimited; rujam—of diseases; virohah—the place for generating; nirvidyate—become satiated; na—not; tu—but; janah—people in general; yat api—although; iti—thus; vidvan—so-called learned philosophers, scientists and politicians; kama-analam—the blazing fire of lusty desires; madhu-lavaih—with drops of honey (happiness); samayan—controlling; durapaih—very difficult to obtain.

TRANSLATION

In this material world, every living entity desires some future happiness, which is exactly like a mirage in the desert. Where is water in the desert, or, in other words, where is happiness in this material world? As for this body, what is its value? It is merely a source of various diseases. The so-called philosophers, scientists and politicians know this very well, but nonetheless they aspire for temporary happiness. Happiness is very difficult to obtain, but because they are unable to control their senses, they run after the so-called happiness of the material world and never come to the right conclusion.

PURPORT

There is a song in the Bengali language which states, “I constructed this home for happiness, but unfortunately there was a fire, and everything has now been burnt to ashes.” This illustrates the nature of material happiness. Everyone knows it, but nonetheless one plans to hear or think something very pleasing. Unfortunately, all of one’s plans are annihilated in due course of time. There were many politicians who planned empires, supremacy and control of the world, but in due time all their plans and empires—and even the politicians themselves—were vanquished. Everyone should take lessons from Prahlada Maharaja about how we are engaged in so-called temporary happiness through bodily exercises for sense enjoyment. All of us repeatedly make plans, which are all repeatedly frustrated. Therefore one should stop such planmaking.

As one cannot stop a blazing fire by constantly pouring ghee upon it, one cannot satisfy oneself by increasing plans for sense enjoyment. The blazing fire is bhava-maha-davagni, the forest fire of material existence. This forest fire occurs automatically, without endeavor. We want to be happy in the material world, but this will never be possible; we shall simply increase the blazing fire of desires. Our desires cannot be satisfied by illusory thoughts and plans; rather, we have to follow the instructions of Lord Krsna: sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. Then we shall be happy. Otherwise, in the name of happiness, we shall continue to suffer miserable conditions.

SB7.9.26

TEXT 26

kvaham rajah-prabhava isa tamo ’dhike ’smin

jatah suretara-kule kva tavanukampa

na brahmano na tu bhavasya na vai ramaya

yan me ’rpitah sirasi padma-karah prasadah

SYNONYMS

kva—where; aham—I (am); rajah-prabhavah—being born in a body full of passion; isa—O my Lord; tamah—the mode of ignorance; adhike—surpassing in; asmin—in this; jatah—born; sura-itara-kule—in a family of atheists or demons (who are subordinate to the devotees); kva—where; tava—Your; anukampa—causeless mercy; na—not; brahmanah—of Lord Brahma; na—not; tu—but; bhavasya—of Lord Siva; na—nor; vai—even; ramayah—of the goddess of fortune; yat—which; me—of me; arpitah—offered; sirasi—on the head; padma-karah—lotus hand; prasadah—the symbol of mercy.

TRANSLATION

O my Lord, O Supreme, because I was born in a family full of the hellish material qualities of passion and ignorance, what is my position? And what is to be said of Your causeless mercy, which was never offered even to Lord Brahma, Lord Siva or the goddess of fortune, Laksmi? You never put Your lotus hand upon their heads, but You have put it upon mine.

PURPORT

Prahlada Maharaja was surprised at the causeless mercy of the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, for although Prahlada was born in a demoniac family and although the Lord had never before placed His lotus hand on the head of Brahma, Siva or the goddess of fortune, His constant companion, Lord Nrsimhadeva kindly placed His hand on the head of Prahlada. This is the meaning of causeless mercy. The causeless mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead may be bestowed upon anyone, regardless of his position in this material world. Everyone is eligible to worship the Supreme Lord, irrespective of his material position. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (14.26):

mam ca yo ’vyabhicarena
bhakti yogena sevate
sa gunan samatityaitan
brahma-bhuyaya kalpate

“One who engages in full devotional service, who does not fall down in any circumstance, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman.” Anyone who engages in continuous devotional service to the Lord is situated in the spiritual world and has nothing to do with the material qualities (sattva-guna, rajo-guna and tamo-guna).

Because Prahlada Maharaja was situated on the spiritual platform, he had nothing to do with his body, which had been born of the modes of passion and ignorance. The symptoms of passion and ignorance are described in Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.19) as lust and hankering (tada rajas tamo-bhavah kama-lobhadayas ca ye). Prahlada Maharaja, being a great devotee, thought the body born of his father to be born of passion and ignorance, but because Prahlada was fully engaged in the service of the Lord, his body did not belong to the material world. The pure Vaisnava’s body is spiritualized even in this life. For example, when iron is put into a fire it becomes red-hot and is no longer iron but fire. Similarly, the so-called material bodies of devotees who fully engage in the devotional service of the Lord, being constantly in the fire of spiritual life, have nothing to do with matter, but are spiritualized.

Srila Madhvacarya remarks that the goddess of fortune, the mother of the universe, could not get mercy similar to that which was offered to Prahlada Maharaja, for although the goddess of fortune is always a constant companion of the Supreme Lord, the Lord is more inclined to His devotees. In other words, devotional service is so great that when it is offered even by those born in low families, the Lord accepts it as being more valuable than the service offered by the goddess of fortune. Lord Brahma, King Indra and the other demigods living in the upper planetary systems are situated in a different spirit of consciousness, and therefore they are sometimes troubled by demons, but a devotee, even if situated in the lower planets, enjoys life in Krsna consciousness under any circumstances. paratah svatah karmatah: as he acts himself, as he is instructed by others or as he performs his material activities, he enjoys life in every respect. In this regard, Madhvacarya quotes the following verses, which are mentioned in the Brahma-tarka:

sri-brahma-brahmivindradi-
tri-katat stri-puru-stutah
tad anye ca kramadeva
sada muktau smrtav api

hari-bhaktau ca taj-jnane
sukhe ca niyamena tu
paratah svatah karmato va
na kathancit tad anyatha

SB7.9.27

TEXT 27

naisa paravara-matir bhavato nanu syaj

jantor yathatma-suhrdo jagatas tathapi

samsevaya surataror iva te prasadah

sevanurupam udayo na paravaratvam

SYNONYMS

na—not; esa—this; para-avara—of higher or lower; matih—such discrimination; bhavatah—of Your Lordship; nanu—indeed; syat—there can be; jantoh—of ordinary living entities; yatha—as; atma-suhrdah—of one who is the friend; jagatah—of the whole material world; tathapi—but still (there is such a demonstration of intimacy or difference); samsevaya—according to the degree of service rendered by the devotee; surataroh iva—like that of the desire tree in Vaikunthaloka (which offers fruits according to the desire of the devotee); te—Your; prasadah—benediction or blessing; seva-anurupam—according to the category of service one renders to the Lord; udayah—manifestation; na—not; para-avaratvam—discrimination due to higher or lower levels.

TRANSLATION

Unlike an ordinary living entity, my Lord, You do not discriminate between friends and enemies, the favorable and the unfavorable, because for You there is no conception of higher and lower. Nonetheless, You offer Your benedictions according to the level of one’s service, exactly as a desire tree delivers fruits according to one’s desires and makes no distinction between the lower and the higher.

PURPORT

In Bhagavad-gita (4.11) the Lord clearly says, ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham: “As one surrenders to Me, I reward him accordingly.” As stated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, jivera ‘svarupa’ haya—krsnera ‘nitya-dasa’: [Cc. Madhya 20.108] every living being is an eternal servant of Krsna. According to the service the living entity renders, he automatically receives benedictions from Krsna, who does not make distinctions, thinking, “Here is a person in an intimate relationship with Me, and here is a person I dislike.” Krsna advises everyone to surrender to Him (sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]). One’s relationship with the Supreme Lord is in proportion to that surrender and the service one renders unto the Lord. Thus throughout the entire world the higher or lower positions of the living entities are selected by the living entities themselves. If one is inclined to dictate that the Lord grant something, one receives benedictions according to his desires. If one wants to be elevated to the higher planetary systems, the heavenly planets, he can be promoted to the place he desires, and if one wants to remain a hog or a pig on earth, the Lord fulfills that desire also. Therefore, one’s position is determined by one’s desires; the Lord is not responsible for the higher or lower grades of our existence. This is further explained quite definitely in Bhagavad-gita (9.25) by the Lord Himself:

yanti deva-vrata devan
pitrn yanti pitr-vratah
bhutani yanti bhutejya
yanti mad-yajino ’pi mam

Some people want to be promoted to the heavenly planets, some want to be promoted to Pitrloka, and some want to remain on earth, but if one is interested in returning home, back to Godhead, he can be promoted there also. According to the demands of a particular devotee, he receives a result by the grace of the Lord. The Lord does not discriminate, thinking, “Here is a person favorable to Me, and here is a person who is not favorable.” Rather, He fulfills the desires of everyone. Therefore the sastras enjoin:

akamah sarva-kamo va
moksa-kama udara-dhih
tivrena bhakti-yogena
yajeta purusam param

“Whether one is without desire [the condition of the devotees], or is desirous of all fruitive results, or is after liberation, one should with all efforts try to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead for complete perfection, culminating in Krsna consciousness.” (Bhag. 2.3.10) According to one’s position, whether as a devotee, a karmi or a jnani, whatever one wants one can get if one fully engages in the service of the Lord.

SB7.9.28

TEXT 28

evam janam nipatitam prabhavahi-kupe

kamabhikamam anu yah prapatan prasangat

krtvatmasat surarsina bhagavan grhitah

so ’ham katham nu visrje tava bhrtya-sevam

SYNONYMS

evam—thus; janam—people in general; nipatitam—fallen; prabhava—of material existence; ahi-kupe—in a blind well full of snakes; kama-abhikamam—desiring the sense objects; anu—following; yah—the person who; prapatan—falling down (in this condition); prasangat—because of bad association or increased association with material desires; krtva atmasat—causing me (to acquire spiritual qualities like himself, Sri Narada); sura-rsina—by the great saintly person (Narada); bhagavan—O my Lord; grhitah—accepted; sah—that person; aham—I; katham—how; nu—indeed; visrje—can give up; tava—Your; bhrtya-sevam—the service of Your pure devotee.

TRANSLATION

My dear Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, because of my association with material desires, one after another, I was gradually falling into a blind well full of snakes, following the general populace. But Your servant Narada Muni kindly accepted me as his disciple and instructed me how to achieve this transcendental position. Therefore, my first duty is to serve him. How could I leave his service?

PURPORT

As will be seen in later verses, even though Prahlada Maharaja was directly offered all the benedictions he might have desired, he refused to accept such offerings from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. On the contrary, he asked the Lord to engage him in the service of His servant Narada Muni. This is the symptom of a pure devotee. One should serve the spiritual master first. It is not that one should bypass the spiritual master and desire to serve the Supreme Lord. This is not the principle for a Vaisnava. Narottama dasa Thakura says:

tandera carana sevi bhakta-sane vasa
janame janame haya, ei abhilasa

One should not be anxious to offer direct service to the Lord. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised that one become a servant of the servant of the servant of the Lord (gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah). This is the process for approaching the Supreme Lord. The first service should be rendered to the spiritual master so that by his mercy one can approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead to render service. While teaching Rupa Gosvami, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija: one can achieve the seed of devotional service by the mercy of the guru, the spiritual master, and then by the mercy of Krsna. This is the secret of success. First one should try to please the spiritual master, and then one should attempt to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura also says, yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado **. One should not attempt to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead by concoction. One must first be prepared to serve the spiritual master, and when one is qualified he is automatically offered the platform of direct service to the Lord. Therefore Prahlada Maharaja proposed that he engage in the service of Narada Muni. He never proposed that he engage directly in the service of the Lord. This is the right conclusion. Therefore he said, so ’ham katham nu visrje tava bhrtya-sevam: “How can I give up the service of my spiritual master, who has favored me in such a way that I am now able to see You face to face?” Prahlada Maharaja prayed to the Lord that he might continue to engage in the service of his spiritual master, Narada Muni.

SB7.9.29

TEXT 29

mat-prana-raksanam ananta pitur vadhas ca

manye sva-bhrtya-rsi-vakyam rtam vidhatum

khadgam pragrhya yad avocad asad-vidhitsus

tvam isvaro mad-aparo ’vatu kam harami

SYNONYMS

mat-prana-raksanam—saving my life; ananta—O unlimited one, reservoir of unlimited transcendental qualities; pituh—of my father; vadhah ca—and killing; manye—I consider; sva-bhrtya—of Your unalloyed servants; rsi-vakyam—and the words of the great saint Narada; rtam—true; vidhatum—to prove; khadgam—sword; pragrhya—taking in hand; yat—since; avocat—my father said; asat-vidhitsuh—desiring to act very impiously; tvam—You; isvarah—any supreme controller; mat-aparah—other than me; avatu—let him save; kam—your head; harami—I shall now separate.

TRANSLATION

My Lord, O unlimited reservoir of transcendental qualities, You have killed my father, Hiranyakasipu, and saved me from his sword. He had said very angrily, “If there is any supreme controller other than me, let Him save you. I shall now sever your head from your body.” Therefore I think that both in saving me and in killing him, You have acted just to prove true the words of Your devotee. There is no other cause.

PURPORT

In Bhagavad-gita (9.29) the Lord says:

samo ’ham sarva-bhutesu
na me dvesyo ’sti na priyah
ye bhajanti tu mam bhaktya
mayi te tesu capy aham

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is undoubtedly equal to everyone. He has no friend and no enemy, but as one desires benefits from the Lord, the Lord is very pleased to award them. The lower and higher positions of different living entities are due to their desires, for the Lord, being equal to all, fulfills everyone’s desires. The killing of Hiranyakasipu and saving of Prahlada Maharaja also strictly followed this law of the supreme controller’s activities. When Prahlada’s mother, this law of the supreme controller’s activities. When Prahlada’s mother, Hiranyakasipu’s wife, Kayadhu, was under the protection of Narada, she prayed for the protection of her son from the enemy, and Narada Muni gave assurance that Prahlada Maharaja would always be saved from the enemy’s hands. Thus when Hiranyakasipu was going to kill Prahlada Maharaja, the Lord saved Prahlada to fulfill His promise in Bhagavad-gita (kaunteya pratijanihi na me bhaktah pranasyati) and to prove true the words of Narada. The Lord can fulfill many purposes through one action. Thus the killing of Hiranyakasipu and the saving of Prahlada were enacted simultaneously to prove the truthfulness of the Lord’s devotee and the fidelity of the Lord Himself to His own purpose. The Lord acts only to satisfy the desires of His devotees; otherwise He has nothing to do. As confirmed in the Vedic language, na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate: the Lord has nothing to do personally, for everything is done through His different potencies (parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate). The Lord has multifarious energies, through which everything is done. Thus when He personally does something, it is only to satisfy His devotee. The Lord is known as bhakta-vatsala because He very much favors His devoted servant.

SB7.9.30

TEXT 30

ekas tvam eva jagad etam amusya yat tvam

ady-antayoh prthag avasyasi madhyatas ca

srstva guna-vyatikaram nija-mayayedam

naneva tair avasitas tad anupravistah

SYNONYMS

ekah—one; tvam—You; eva—only; jagat—the cosmic manifestation; etam—this; amusya—of that (the whole universe); yat—since; tvam—You; adi—in the beginning; antayoh—at the end; prthak—separately; avasyasi—exist (as the cause); madhyatah ca—also in the middle (the duration between the beginning and end); srstva—creating; guna-vyatikaram—the transformation of the three modes of material nature; nija-mayaya—by Your own external energy; idam—this; nana iva—like many varieties; taih—by them (the modes); avasitah—experienced; tat—that; anupravistah—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-samhita (5.35):

eko ’py asau racayitum jagad-anda-kotim
yac-chaktir asti jagad-anda-caya yad-antah
andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

“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-gita (9.4):

maya tatam idam sarvam
jagad avyakta-murtina
mat-sthani sarva-bhutani
na caham tesv 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 Krsna, 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 Prahlada prays, ekas tvam eva jagad etam: “You are everything.

SB7.9.31

TEXT 31

tvam va idam sadasad isa bhavams tato ’nyo

maya yad atma-para-buddhir iyam hy apartha

yad yasya janma nidhanam sthitir iksanam ca

tad vaitad eva vasukalavad asti-tarvoh

SYNONYMS

tvam—You; va—either; idam—the whole universe; sat-asat—consisting of cause and effect (You are the cause, and Your energy is the effect); isa—O my Lord, the supreme controller; bhavan—Yourself; tatah—from the universe; anyah—separately situated (the creation is made by the Lord, yet He remains separate from the creation); maya—the energy that appears as a separate creation; yat—of which; atma-para-buddhih—the conception of one’s own and another’s; iyam—this; hi—indeed; apartha—has no meaning (everything is Your Lordship, and therefore there is no hope for understanding “my” and “your”); yat—the substance from which; yasya—of which; janma—creation; nidhanam—annihilation; sthitih—maintenance; iksanam—manifestation; ca—and; tat—that; va—or; etat—this; eva—certainly; vasukala-vat—like the quality of being the earth and, beyond that, the subtle element of the earth (smell); asti-tarvoh—the seed (the cause) and the tree (the effect of the cause).

TRANSLATION

My dear Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, the entire cosmic creation is caused by You, and the cosmic manifestation is an effect of Your energy. Although the entire cosmos is but You alone, You keep Yourself aloof from it. The conception of “mine and yours,” is certainly a type of illusion [maya] because everything is an emanation from You and is therefore not different from You. Indeed, the cosmic manifestation is nondifferent from You, and the annihilation is also caused by You. This relationship between Your Lordship and the cosmos is illustrated by the example of the seed and the tree, or the subtle cause and the gross manifestation.

PURPORT

In Bhagavad-gita (7.10) the Lord says:

bijam mam sarva-bhutanam
viddhi partha sanatanam

“O son of Prtha, know that I am the original seed of all existences.” In the Vedic literature it is said, isavasyam idam sarvam, yato va imani bhutani jayante and sarvam khalv idam brahma. All this Vedic information indicates that there is only one God and that there is nothing else but Him. The Mayavadi philosophers explain this in their own way, but the Supreme Personality of Godhead asserts the truth that He is everything and yet is separate from everything. This is the philosophy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, which is called acintya-bhedabheda-tattva. Everything is one, the Supreme Lord, yet everything is separate from the Lord. This is the understanding of oneness and difference.

The example given in this regard—vasukalavad asti-tarvoh—is very easy to understand. Everything exists in time, yet there are different phases of the time factor—present, past and future. Present, past and future are one. Every day we can experience the time factor as morning, noon and evening, and although morning is different from noon, which is different from evening, all of them taken together are one. The time factor is the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but the Lord is separate from the time factor. Everything is created, maintained and annihilated by time, but the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, has no beginning and no end. He is nityah sasvatah—eternal, permanent. Everything passes through time’s phases of present, past and future, yet the Lord is always the same. Thus there is undoubtedly a difference between the Lord and the cosmic manifestation, but actually they are not different. Accepting them to be different is called avidya, ignorance.

True oneness, however, is not equivalent to the conception of the Mayavadis. The true understanding is that the differences are manifested by the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The seed is manifested as a tree, which displays varieties in its trunk, branches, leaves, flowers and fruits. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has therefore sung, kesava tuya jagata vicitra: “My dear Lord, Your creation is full of varieties.” The varieties are one and at the same time different. This is the philosophy of acintya-bhedabheda-tattva. The conclusion given in Brahma-samhita [Bs. 5.1] is this:

isvarah paramah krsnah
sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah
anadir adir govindah
sarva-karana-karanam

“Krsna, known as Govinda, is the supreme controller. He has an eternal, blissful, spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin, for He is the prime cause of all causes.” Because the Lord is the supreme cause, everything is one with Him, but when we consider varieties, we find that one thing is different from another.

We may conclude, therefore, that there is no difference between one thing and another, yet in varieties there are differences. In this regard, Madhvacarya gives an example concerning a tree and a tree in fire. Both trees are the same, but they look different because of the time factor. The time factor is under the control of the Supreme Lord, and therefore the Supreme Lord is different from time. An advanced devotee consequently does not distinguish between happiness and distress. As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.14.8):

tat te ’nukampam susamiksamano
bhunjana evatma-krtam vipakam

When a devotee is in a condition of so-called distress, he considers it a gift or blessing from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When a devotee is always thus situated in Krsna consciousness in any condition of life, he is described as mukti-pade sa daya-bhak, a perfect candidate for returning home, back to Godhead. The word daya-bhak means “inheritance.” A son inherits the property of his father. Similarly, when the devotee is fully Krsna conscious, undisturbed by dualities, he is sure that he will return home, back to Godhead, just as one inherits his father’s property.

Next verse (SB7.9.32)