Prabhupāda: This verse is particularly important, because it describes the significance of sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs 5.1).
The Lord's body is sac-cid-ānanda. His body is not like ours. Our body is acit . . . asat, acit and nirānanda, just the opposite. Asat means it will not exist, and acit means it is full of ignorance, and nirānanda . . . nirānanda means full of miseries. These three qualification of our body, whereas the Lord's body is sac-cid-ānanda: it is eternal and full of knowledge and full of bliss.
Our body and with our self . . . my body and my self are different. But Lord and Lord's body is absolute. What is Lord, Lord's body is also the same. So that description is given here: aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti. The Lord is not impersonal. He has got His form. And what sort of form?
We should not consider that whenever there is a question of form, the form must be just like one of us. This is foolishness. Now, His form is completely different, just like we have explained. His form is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, and our this present material body is asat, acit and nirānanda. Just completely different.
So His form, His different parts of the body, described in the Vedas, apāṇi-pādo javano grahītā paśyati (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 3.19): "His . . . He has no hands and legs; still, He accepts all that you offer to Him. In the Bhagavad-gītā also we'll find that:
- patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ
- yo me bhaktyā prayacchati
- tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam
- aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ
- (BG 9.26)
"My devotees . . ." God is not . . . the Lord is not in need of our offering, but still, He is so kind, if we offer Him something . . . patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam. Not that we have to offer him very luxurious things, very highly valuable things. He says that even a piece of leaf, patraṁ, a piece of flower, patraṁ puṣpam, a piece of fruit and little water . . . that means these four things can be secured by any poor man in any part of the world.
There is no botheration for securing a piece of leaf, a piece of flower a little water or a piece of fruit. Any poor man, any rich man can secure. And the Lord says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26): "Anyone who offers Me these four things with devotion, with love, I accept them." "I accept them." Why? Now, tad ahaṁ bhaktyā upahṛtam aśnāmi: "Because that is secured with sincere love for Me." So God . . . the Lord accepts our love.
Now, the Lord is . . . we cannot see. He is far, far away, and still, He is within us. Therefore His hand is not like our hands. The Vedas . . . when the Vedas describes, "The Lord has no hand," that means He has no hand like ours, not that a two-feet hand which we have got, or two- or three-feet hand; largest hand. His hand is so large that He can extend His hand in any part of His creation, millions and billions miles away, and everywhere. That is the specific significance of His body. So this is described here. (sings)
- aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti
- paśyanti pānti kalayanti ciraṁ jaganti
- ānanda-cinmaya-sadujjvala-vigrahasya
- govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
- (Bs 5.32)
And another special significance of the parts of His body, limbs or hands or legs, eyes, ears . . . what is that significance? Now, each part of His body has got all the potency of other parts of the body. Just like with our eyes we can simply see; but the Lord, He can not only see by His eyes, transcendental eyes, but He can also hear, He can also eat. All the . . . all the functions of all other parts of the body, He can function by any part of His body. Not that a particular part of the body can function only for a particular purpose. No.
Just like simply by glancing . . . in the Vedic literature it is said, sa aikṣata sa asṛjata: "Simply by seeing—simply by seeing—He impregnated all the energies for creation. Simply by seeing." Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). Simply by His glance. Simply by His glance He impregnates the material energy for functioning. It is going on.
So He has got all the potencies in all the parts of His body. Aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti paśyanti pānti kalayanti. That is the difference between His body and our body. So when there is description in the Vedas that "He has no leg, no hand, no eyes," that does not mean He has no eyes. He has got eyes, but not these eyes just like we have got conception. So here it is explained that aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti. His parts of the body are, are invested with all the potencies of other parts of the body. With any part of His body He can function any work.