SB 8.12.7
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 7
- tvaṁ brahma pūrṇam amṛtaṁ viguṇaṁ viśokam
- ānanda-mātram avikāram ananyad anyat
- viśvasya hetur udaya-sthiti-saṁyamānām
- ātmeśvaraś ca tad-apekṣatayānapekṣaḥ
SYNONYMS
tvam — Your Lordship; brahma — the all-pervading Absolute Truth; pūrṇam — fully complete; amṛtam — never to be vanquished; viguṇam — spiritually situated, free from the material modes of nature; viśokam — without lamentation; ānanda-mātram — always in transcendental bliss; avikāram — changeless; ananyat — separated from everything; anyat — yet You are everything; viśvasya — of the cosmic manifestation; hetuḥ — the cause; udaya — of the beginning; sthiti — maintenance; saṁyamānām — and of all the directors controlling the various departments of the cosmic manifestation; ātma-īśvaraḥ — the Supersoul giving direction to everyone; ca — also; tat-apekṣatayā — everyone depends upon You; anapekṣaḥ — always fully independent.
TRANSLATION
My Lord, You are the Supreme Brahman, complete in everything. Being completely spiritual, You are eternal, free from the material modes of nature, and full of transcendental bliss. Indeed, for You there is no question of lamentation. Since You are the supreme cause, the cause of all causes, nothing can exist without You. Yet we are different from You in a relationship of cause and effect, for in one sense the cause and effect are different. You are the original cause of creation, manifestation and annihilation, and You bestow benedictions upon all living entities. Everyone depends upon You for the results of his activities, but You are always independent.
PURPORT
The Supreme Personality of Godhead says in Bhagavad-gītā (BG 9.4):
- mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ
- jagad avyakta-mūrtinā
- mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni
- na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ
"By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them." This explains the philosophy of simultaneous oneness and difference, known as acintya-bhedābheda. Everything is the Supreme Brahman, the Personality of Godhead, yet the Supreme Person is differently situated from everything. Indeed, because the Lord is differently situated from everything material, He is the Supreme Brahman, the supreme cause, the supreme controller. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (BS 5.1). The Lord is the supreme cause, and His form has nothing to do with the material modes of nature. The devotee prays: "As Your devotee is completely free from all desires, Your Lordship is also completely free from desires. You are fully independent. Although all living entities engage in Your service, You do not depend on the service of anyone. Although this material world is created complete by You, everything depends on Your sanction. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca: (BG 15.15) remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness come from You. Nothing can be done independently, yet You act independently of the service rendered by Your servants. The living entities depend on Your mercy for liberation, but when You want to give them liberation, You do not depend on anyone else. Indeed, by Your causeless mercy, You can give liberation to anyone. Those who receive Your mercy are called kṛpā-siddha. To reach the platform of perfection takes many, many lives (bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19)). Nonetheless, even without undergoing severe austerities, one can attain perfection by Your mercy. Devotional service should be unmotivated and free from impediments (ahaituky apratihatā yayātmā suprasīdati). This is the position of nirāśiṣaḥ, or freedom from expectations for results. A pure devotee continuously offers transcendental loving service to You, but You may nonetheless offer mercy to anyone, without depending on his service."