मामेव सर्वभूतेषु बहिरन्तरपावृतम् ।
ईक्षेतात्मनि चात्मानं यथा खममलाशय: ॥
mām eva sarva-bhūteṣu bahir antar apāvṛtam |
īkṣetātmani cātmānaṁ yathā kham amalāśayaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.29.12; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 330)
“One of untainted heart should see me alone to be externally and internally present and [to be] the Self in the self and in all beings, unrestrained like the sky.”
Commentary
yataḥ prāyaśo lokāḥ spardhādi-parāḥ, kathañcid antarmukhatve’pi sarvāntaryāmi-rūpa-tvad-bhajana-mātra-jñānina ity ālocya kṛpayā teṣāṁ spardhādīn jhaṭiti dūrīkartuṁ svasminn evāntar-mukhī-kartuṁ ca ‘viṣṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛtsnam ekāṁśena sthito jagat’ ity-ādy-ukta-tad-antaryāmi-rūpa-svāṁśasya bhajana-sthāne sva-bhajanam upadiṣṭavān, yathā—mām eva sarva-bhūteṣu bahir antar apāvṛtam | īkṣetātmani cātmānaṁ yathā kham amalāśayaḥ || ṭīkā ca—antaraṅgāṁ bhaktim āha—mām iti tribhiḥ | sarva-bhūteṣv ātmani cātmānam īśvara-sthitaṁ mām eva īkṣeta || ity eṣā | kathambhūtam īśvaram? bahir-antaḥ pūrṇam ity arthaḥ | tat kutaḥ? apāvṛtam anāvaraṇam | tad api kutaḥ? yathā kham asaṅgatvād vibhutvāc cety arthaḥ | atra mām eva iti śrī-kṛṣṇa-rūpam eva īkṣeta, na tu kevalāntaryāmi-rūpam ity abhiprāyeṇaiva antaraṅgāṁ bhaktim āha iti vyākhyātam ||
(Excerpt from Krama-sandarbha-ṭikā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.29.12; Bhakti Sandarbha: 330)
“Since people are generally prone to rivalry [alt., competition, envy] and so forth [i.e., and other attitudes that foster behavior non-favoring of others and the pursuit of superiority over them], and considering that even if they somehow become inward-facing, they [typically] have knowledge only of worship of you [i.e., Bhagavān] in the form of the Inner Regulator (Antaryāmī) of all [i.e., the Paramātmā], in place of [i.e., instead of] the worship of your own expansion (aṁśa) in the form of the the Inner Regulator [i.e., Paramātmā] described in [BG 10.42], ‘With a single portion (aṁśa) [of myself, i.e., as Paramātmā], I am present pervading the entirety of this [universe],’ you graciously teach them worship (bhajana) of yourself [i.e., of yourself as Bhagavān] so as to quickly dispel their rivalry and so forth and make them inward-facing towards you yourself specifically [i.e., towards yourself in your aspect as Bhagavān in contrast to your aspect as Paramātmā] as follows [in SB 11.29.12]: ‘One of untainted heart should see me alone to be externally and internally present and [to be] the Self in the self and in all beings, unrestrained like the sky.’ Furthermore, the commentary [of Śrī Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda] is this: ‘He [i.e., Kṛṣṇa] describes internal (antaraṅgā) bhakti with the three [verses beginning] mām … [i.e., in SB 11.29.12–14]. [A person of untainted heart] Should see me alone as the Self, that is, the Īśvara present in all beings and in the self.’ This Īśvara is [to be seen to be] of what nature? Externally and internally present, that is, complete [in his presence]. How is that so? He is ‘unrestricted’ (aprāvṛtam), that is, unobstructed [by anything, and thus can perceived to be fully present within the self and in all beings]. How is that also so? He is ‘like the sky’ (yathā kham) on account of [his] being without attachment and being all-pervading. This is the meaning. Here, that one should see ‘me alone’ (mām eva) means [that one should see] the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa alone, and not, rather, only the form of the Inner Regulator (Antaryāmī) [i.e., Paramātmā]. Because of this intention specifically, he [i.e., Śrī Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda] commented, ‘He [i.e., Śrī Kṛṣṇa] describes internal (antaraṅgā) bhakti [in this verse].’”