etau hi viśvasya ca bīja-yonī
rÄmo mukundaḥ puruá¹£aḥ pradhÄnam
anvīya bhūteṣu vilakṣaṇasya
jñÄnasya ceÅ›Äta imau purÄṇau
2 times this text was mentioned in purports to other texts: CC(1) , TLC(1)
etau - these two; hi - indeed; viÅ›vasya - of the universe; ca - and; bÄ«ja - the seed; yonÄ« - and the womb; rÄmaḥ - Lord BalarÄma; mukundaḥ - Lord Kṛṣṇa; puruá¹£aḥ - the creating Lord; pradhÄnam - His creative energy; anvÄ«ya - entering; bhÅ«teá¹£u - within all living beings; vilaká¹£aṇasya - confused or perceiving; jñÄnasya - knowledge; ca - and; Ä«Å›Äte - control; imau - They; purÄṇau - primeval.
These two Lords, Mukunda and BalarÄma, are each the seed and womb of the universe, the creator and His creative potency. They enter the hearts of living beings and control their conditioned awareness. They are the primeval Supreme.
The word vilaká¹£aṇa means either “distinctly perceiving†or “confused,†depending on how the prefix vi is understood in context. In the case of enlightened souls, vilaká¹£aṇa means “perceiving the correct distinction between the body and the soul†and thus Lord Kṛṣṇa, as indicated by the word Ä«Å›Äte, guides the spiritually advancing soul. The other meaning of vilaká¹£aṇa — “confused†or “bewildered†— clearly applies to those who have not understood the difference between the soul and the body, or the distinction between the individual soul and the Supreme Soul. Such bewildered living beings do not go back home, back to Godhead, to the eternal spiritual world, but rather achieve temporary destinations according to the laws of nature.
It is understood from all Vaiṣṇava literature that ÅšrÄ« RÄma, BalarÄma, here accompanying Lord Kṛṣṇa, is nondifferent from Him, being His plenary expansion. The Lord is one, yet He expands Himself, and thus Lord BalarÄma in no way compromises the principle of monotheism.
