hṛdi-stho 'py ati-dūra-sthaḥ

karma-vikṣipta-cetasām

ātma-śaktibhir agrāhyo

'py anty upeta-guṇātmanām

hridi -- in the heart; sthah -- situated; api -- although; ati -- very; dura-sthah -- far away; karma -- by material activities; vikshipta -- disturbed; cetasam -- for those whose minds; atma -- by one's own; saktibhih -- powers; agrahyah -- not to be taken hold of; api -- although; anti -- near; upeta -- realized; guna -- Your qualities; atmanam -- by whose hearts.


Texto

But although You reside within the heart, You are very far away from those whose minds are disturbed by their entanglement in material work. Indeed, no one can grasp You by his material powers, for You reveal Yourself only in the hearts of those who have learned to appreciate Your transcendental qualities.

Significado

The all-merciful Lord is in everyone's heart. Seeing Him there, however, is possible only when one's heart is completely purified. Materialists may demand that God prove His existence by coming into view as a result of their empirical investigations, but God has no need to respond to such impudence. As Lord Krishna states in Bhagavad-gita (7.25):

naham prakasah sarvasya

yoga-maya-samavritah

mudho 'yam nabhijanati

loko mam ajam avyayam

"I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My internal potency, and therefore they do not know that I am unborn and infallible."