अहं सर्वेषु भूतेषु भूतात्मावस्थित: सदा ।
तमवज्ञाय मां मर्त्य: कुरुतेऽर्चाविडम्बनम् ॥
ahaṁ sarveṣu bhūteṣu bhūtātmāvasthitaḥ sadā |
tam avajñāya māṁ martyaḥ kurute’rcā-viḍambanam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 3.29.21; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 106)
[Kapiladeva:] “I, the Ātmā [i.e., the indwelling regulator (antaryāmī)] of all beings, am always situated in all beings. By disrespecting [any] one of them, that is, me, a mortal makes a mockery of worship [i.e., of worship of my deity form].”
Commentary
citta-śuddhiś ca sarva-bhūtātma-dṛṣṭyaiva bhavatīti vaktuṁ kevala-pratimādi-niṣṭhāṁ nindann āha—aham iti saptabhiḥ |
(Excerpt from the Bhāvārtha-dīpikā)
“To say that purification of the heart occurs only by seeing the Ātmā in all beings and [thus] condemn fixity only upon deities and so forth [i.e., to condemn seeing and honoring Bhagavān only in deity form and neglecting his presence in all living beings], the following seven verses [starting with this one] are spoken.”
taṁ mām avajñāya teṣām avajñayā tad-adhiṣṭhānakasya mamaivāvajñāṁ kṛtvety arthaḥ |
(Excerpt from the Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā and Bhakti Sandarbha 106)
“‘By disrespecting [any] one of them, that is, me,’ means by disrespecting them [i.e., any living being], one commits disrespect of me, the indweller within them.”
kiṁ caitādṛśīm api bhaktim aparādha eva saṅkocayati sa cāparādhaḥ prāyo mahad-avajñāna-mūlaka eva te ca mahānto loke durlakṣyā api bahavas tiṣṭhanty atas tad-aparādhābhāvārthaṁ sarva-bhūtāny eva sveṣṭa-devādhiṣṭhāna-buddhyā sammānānīyāni | tad-abhāve śrī-bhagavad-vigraha-sevāpi na samyak phaladeti vadann īśvaratvāt prāṇi-sammānanam akurvate sva-bhaktāya hita-kāritvena vātsalyāt kupyann iva śrī-kapila-deva āha—aham ity ādi ṣaḍbhiḥ |
(Excerpt from the Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“Furthermore, although it is such [i.e., although bhakti naturally draws the mind towards Bhagavān], aparādha restricts bhakti [i.e., prevents bhakti from doing so], and such aparādhā is usually rooted in disrespect of great personages. Although such great personages are hardly visible [alt., difficult to see] in the world, many exist. Therefore, for the purpose of avoiding [the possibility of committing any] aparādha to them, all beings are to be honored with the mentality that they are adhiṣṭhānas (dwelling places) of one’s own Iṣṭadeva. In the absence of this [i.e., by neglecting to do this], even service to the deity of Śrī Bhagavān is not fully productive of results. Saying this because he is the Lord, Śrī Kapiladeva, as though angry, speaks the following seven verses [beginning with the present one] out of affection and for the benefit of his own bhakta who does not properly honor [other] living beings.”