CC Madhya 20.251 (1975)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 251
- viṣṇos tu trīṇi rūpāṇi
- puruṣākhyāny atho viduḥ
- ekaṁ tu mahataḥ sraṣṭṛ
- dvitīyaṁ tv aṇḍa-saṁsthitam
- tṛtīyaṁ sarva-bhūta-sthaṁ
- tāni jñātvā vimucyate
SYNONYMS
viṣṇoḥ—of Lord Viṣṇu; tu—certainly; trīṇi—three; rūpāṇi—forms; puruṣa-ākhyāni—celebrated as the puruṣa; atho—how; viduḥ—they know; ekam—one of them; tu—but; mahataḥ sraṣṭṛ—the creator of the total material energy; dvitīyam—the second; tu—but; aṇḍa-saṁsthitam—situated within the universe; tṛtīyam—the third; sarva-bhūta-stham—within the hearts of all living entities; tāni—these three; jñātvā—knowing; vimucyate—one becomes liberated.
TRANSLATION
" 'Viṣṇu has three forms called puruṣas. The first, Mahā-Viṣṇu, is the creator of the total material energy [mahat], the second is Garbhodakaśāyī, who is situated within each universe, and the third is Kṣīrodakaśāyī, who lives in the heart of every living being. He who knows these three becomes liberated from the clutches of māyā.'
PURPORT
This verse appears in the Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta (Pūrva-khaṇḍa 33), where it has been quoted from the Sātvata-tantra.