ĹrÄŤ-mahÄdeva uvÄca
deva-deva jagad-vyÄpiĂą
jagad-ÄŤĹa jagan-maya
sarveᚣÄm api bhÄvÄnÄáš
tvam ÄtmÄ hetur ÄŤĹvaraḼ
ĹrÄŤ-mahÄdevaḼ uvÄca - Lord Ĺiva (MahÄdeva) said; deva-deva - O best demigod among the demigods; jagat-vyÄpin - O all-pervading Lord; jagat-ÄŤĹa - O master of the universe; jagat-maya - O my Lord, who are transformed by Your energy into this creation; sarveᚣÄm api - all kinds of; bhÄvÄnÄm - situations; tvam - You; ÄtmÄ - the moving force; hetuḼ - because of this; ÄŤĹvaraḼ - the Supreme Lord, ParameĹvara.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viᚣášu, resides within the material world as the sattva-guáša-avatÄra. Lord Ĺiva is the tamo-guáša-avatÄra, and Lord BrahmÄ is the rajo-guáša-avatÄra, but although Lord Viᚣášu is among them, He is not in the same category. Lord Viᚣášu is deva-deva, the chief of all the demigods. Since Lord Ĺiva is in this material world, the energy of the Supreme Lord, Viᚣášu, includes Lord Ĺiva. Lord Viᚣášu is therefore called jagad-vyÄpÄŤ, âthe all-pervading Lord.â Lord Ĺiva is sometimes called MaheĹvara, and so people think that Lord Ĺiva is everything. But here Lord Ĺiva addresses Lord Viᚣášu as JagadÄŤĹa, âthe master of the universe.â Lord Ĺiva is sometimes called ViĹveĹvara, but here he addresses Lord Viᚣášu as Jaganmaya, indicating that even ViĹveĹvara is under Lord Viᚣášuâs control. Lord Viᚣášu is the master of the spiritual world, yet He controls the material world also, as stated in Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ (mayÄdhyakᚣeáša prakáštiḼ sĹŤyate sacarÄcaram). Lord BrahmÄ and Lord Ĺiva are also sometimes called ÄŤĹvara, but the supreme ÄŤĹvara is Lord Viᚣášu, Lord KášášŁáša. As stated in Brahma-saášhitÄ, ÄŤĹvaraḼ paramaḼ kášášŁášaḼ: the Supreme Lord is KášášŁáša, Lord Viᚣášu. Everything in existence works in proper order because of Lord Viᚣášu. Aášá¸Äntara-stha-paramÄášu-cayÄntara-stham. Even paramÄášu, the small atoms, work because of Lord Viᚣášuâs presence within them.