टीका

Commentary

Although the Supersoul is present in the hearts of all living beings, He is never divided. He remains in one unified form. Although He is the maintainer of every living entity, it should be understood that He also dissolves and creates all beings. This is His supreme power.

The Lord resides in everyone’s heart as the Supersoul. Does this mean He is divided? No. In reality, He is one. The analogy of the sun is given here — the sun at midday is in one position, and if one goes five thousand miles in any direction and asks where the sun is, everyone will say it is shining over their head. This is the nature of the Vedic illustration: although the Lord appears divided, He is actually situated as one.

In the Vedic literature it is also stated that Vishnu is present everywhere by His one omnipotence, just as the sun appears in many places to many persons. Although the Lord is the maintainer of every living being, at the time of annihilation He devours them all. When creation occurs, He develops all beings from their original state, and when dissolution takes place, He draws them back. The Vedic hymns confirm that He is the origin and resting place of all living beings — from the greatest to the smallest — and after dissolution, all entities return to Him for rest, only to emerge again when creation recommences.