ईश्वरेण परिच्छिन्नं कालेनाव्यक्तमूर्तिना ॥१२॥
viÅ›vaá¹ vai brahma-tan-mÄtraá¹
saá¹sthitaá¹ viṣṇu-mÄyayÄ
Ä«Å›vareṇa paricchinnaá¹
kÄlenÄvyakta-mÅ«rtinÄ
viÅ›vam - the material phenomenon; vai - certainly; brahma - the Supreme; tat-mÄtram - the same as; saá¹sthitam - situated; viṣṇu-mÄyayÄ - by the energy of Viṣṇu; Ä«Å›vareṇa - by the Personality of Godhead; paricchinnam - separated; kÄlena - by the eternal time; avyakta - unmanifested; mÅ«rtinÄ - by such a feature.
This cosmic manifestation is separated from the Supreme Lord as material energy by means of kÄla, which is the unmanifested, impersonal feature of the Lord. It is situated as the objective manifestation of the Lord under the influence of the same material energy of Viṣṇu.
As stated previously by NÄrada before VyÄsadeva (BhÄg. 1.5.20), idaá¹ hi viÅ›vaá¹ bhagavÄn ivetaraḥ: this manifested world is the selfsame Personality of Godhead, but it appears to be something else beyond or besides the Lord. It appears so because of its being separated from the Lord by means of kÄla. It is something like the tape-recorded voice of a person who is now separated from the voice. As the tape recording is situated on the tape, so the whole cosmic manifestation is situated on the material energy and appears separate by means of kÄla. The material manifestation is therefore the objective manifestation of the Supreme Lord and exhibits His impersonal feature so much adored by impersonalist philosophers.
