सर्वप्रत्यगात्मत्वात् सर्वगुणाभासोपलक्षित एक एव पर्यवशेषितः ॥३८॥
sa eva hi punaḥ sarva-vastuni vastu-svarÅ«paḥ sarveÅ›varaḥ sakala-jagat-kÄraṇa-kÄraṇa-bhÅ«taḥ sarva-pratyag-ÄtmatvÄt sarva-guṇÄbhÄsopalaká¹£ita eka eva paryavaÅ›eá¹£itaḥ
saḥ - He (the Supreme Personality of Godhead); eva - indeed; hi - certainly; punaḥ - again; sarva-vastuni - in everything, material and spiritual; vastu-svarÅ«paḥ - the substance; sarva-Ä«Å›varaḥ - the controller of everything; sakala-jagat - of the whole universe; kÄraṇa - of the causes; kÄraṇa-bhÅ«taḥ - existing as the cause; sarva-pratyak-ÄtmatvÄt - because of being the Supersoul of every living being, or being present in everything, even the atom; sarva-guṇa - of all the effects of the material modes of nature (such as intelligence and the senses); ÄbhÄsa - by the manifestations; upalaká¹£itaḥ - perceived; ekaḥ - alone; eva - indeed; paryavaÅ›eá¹£itaḥ - left remaining.
With deliberation, one will see that the Supreme Soul, although manifested in different ways, is actually the basic principle of everything. The total material energy is the cause of the material manifestation, but the material energy is caused by Him. Therefore He is the cause of all causes, the manifester of intelligence and the senses. He is perceived as the Supersoul of everything. Without Him, everything would be dead. You, as that Supersoul, the supreme controller, are the only one remaining.
The words sarva-vastuni vastu-svarÅ«paḥ indicate that the Supreme Lord is the active principle of everything. As described in the Brahma-saá¹hitÄ (5.35):
eko ’py asau racayituá¹ jagad-aṇá¸a-koá¹iá¹
yac-chaktir asti jagad-aṇá¸a-cayÄ yad-antaḥ
aṇá¸Äntara-stha-paramÄṇu-cayÄntara-sthaá¹
govindam Ädi-puruá¹£aá¹ tam ahaá¹ bhajÄmi
“I worship the Personality of Godhead, Govinda, who enters the existence of every universe and every atom by one of His plenary portions and thus manifests His infinite energy throughout the material creation.†By His one plenary portion as ParamÄtmÄ, antaryÄmÄ«, the Lord is all-pervading throughout the unlimited universes. He is the pratyak, or antaryÄmÄ«, of all living entities. The Lord says in Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ (13.3), ká¹£etra-jñaá¹ cÄpi mÄá¹ viddhi sarva-ká¹£etreá¹£u bhÄrata: “O scion of Bharata, you should understand that I am also the knower in all bodies.†Because the Lord is the Supersoul, He is the active principle of every living entity and even the atom (aṇá¸Äntara-stha-paramÄṇu-cayÄntara-stham). He is the actual reality. According to various stages of intelligence, one realizes the presence of the Supreme in everything through the manifestations of His energy. The entire world is permeated by the three guṇas, and one can understand His presence according to one’s modes of material nature.
