Srimad Bhagavatam. Canto 8: Withdrawal of the Cosmic Creations

Chapter 5: The Demigods Appeal to the Lord for Protection. Text 32

पादौ महीयं स्वकृतैव यस्य
चतुर्विधो यत्र हि भूतसर्गः ।
स वै महापूरुष आत्मतन्त्रः
प्रसीदतां ब्रह्म महाविभूतिः ॥३२॥

pÄdau mahÄ«yaá¹ sva-ká¹›taiva yasya
catur-vidho yatra hi bhūta-sargaḥ
sa vai mahÄ-pÅ«ruá¹£a Ätma-tantraḥ
prasÄ«datÄá¹ brahma mahÄ-vibhÅ«tiḥ

 pÄdau - His lotus feet; mahÄ« - the earth; iyam - this; sva-ká¹›ta - created by Himself; eva - indeed; yasya - of whom; catuḥ-vidhaḥ - of four kinds of living entities; yatra - wherein; hi - indeed; bhÅ«ta-sargaḥ - material creation; saḥ - He; vai - indeed; mahÄ-pÅ«ruá¹£aḥ - the Supreme Person; Ätma-tantraḥ - self-sufficient; prasÄ«datÄm - may He be merciful to us; brahma - the greatest; mahÄ-vibhÅ«tiḥ - with unlimited potency.


Text

On this earth there are four kinds of living entities, who are all created by Him. The material creation rests on His lotus feet. He is the great Supreme Person, full of opulence and power. May He be pleased with us.

Purport

The word mahÄ« refers to the five material elements — earth, water, air, fire and sky — which rest upon the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Mahat-padaá¹ puṇya-yaÅ›o murÄreḥ. The mahat-tattva, the total material energy, rests on His lotus feet, for the cosmic manifestation is but another opulence of the Lord. In this cosmic manifestation there are four kinds of living entities — jarÄyu-ja (those born from embryos), aṇá¸a-ja (those born from eggs), sveda-ja (those born from perspiration), and udbhij-ja (those born from seeds). Everything is generated from the Lord, as confirmed in the VedÄnta-sÅ«tra (janmÄdy asya yataḥ). No one is independent, but the Supreme Soul is completely independent. JanmÄdy asya yato ’nvayÄd itarataÅ› cÄrtheá¹£v abhijñaḥ sva-rÄá¹­. The word sva-rÄá¹­ means “independent.†We are dependent, whereas the Supreme Lord is completely independent. Therefore the Supreme Lord is the greatest of all. Even Lord BrahmÄ, who created the cosmic manifestation, is but another opulence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The material creation is activated by the Lord, and therefore the Lord is not a part of the material creation. The Lord exists in His original, spiritual position. The universal form of the Lord, vairÄja-mÅ«rti, is another feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.