SB 01.08.18 namasye purusam tvadyam... cited

Expressions researched:
"You are existing both within and without everything" |"You are invisible to all" |"alaksyam sarva-bhutanam" |"antar bahir avasthitam" |"isvaram prakrteh param" |"namasye purusam tvadyam" |"unaffected by the qualities of the material world"

Notes from the compiler: VedaBase query: "1.8.18" or "You are existing both within and without everything" or "You are invisible to all" or "alaksyam sarva-bhutanam" or "antar bahir avasthitam" or "isvaram prakrteh param" or "namasye purusam tvadyam" or "unaffected by the qualities of the material world"

SB Canto 1

SB 1.8.18, Translation and Purport:

Śrīmatī Kuntī said: O Kṛṣṇa, I offer my obeisances unto You because You are the original personality and are unaffected by the qualities of the material world. You are existing both within and without everything, yet You are invisible to all.

Teachings of Queen Kuntī,

Chapter 1: The Original Person

Śrīmatī Kuntīdevī was quite aware that Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead, although He was playing the part of her nephew. Such an enlightened lady could not commit a mistake by offering obeisances unto her nephew. Therefore, she addressed Him as the original puruṣa beyond the material cosmos. Although all living entities are also transcendental, they are neither original nor infallible. The living entities are apt to fall down under the clutches of material nature, but the Lord is never like that. In the Vedas, therefore, He is described as the chief among all living entities (nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13)). Then again He is addressed as īśvara, or the controller. The living entities or the demigods like Indra, Candra and Sūrya are also to some extent īśvara, but none of them is the supreme īśvara, or the ultimate controller. He is the parameśvara, or the Supersoul. He is both within and without. Although He was present before Śrīmatī Kuntī as her nephew, He was also within her and everyone else. In the Bhagavad-gītā (15.15) the Lord says, "I am situated in everyone's heart, and only due to Me one remembers, forgets and is cognizant, etc. Through all the Vedas I am to be known because I am the compiler of the Vedas, and I am the teacher of the Vedānta." Queen Kuntī affirms that the Lord, although both within and without all living beings, is still invisible. The Lord is, so to speak, a puzzle for the common man. Queen Kuntī experienced personally that Lord Kṛṣṇa was present before her, yet He entered within the womb of Uttarā to save her embryo from the attack of Aśvatthāmā's brahmāstra. Kuntī herself was puzzled about whether Śrī Kṛṣṇa is all-pervasive or localized. In fact, He is both, but He reserves the right of not being exposed to persons who are not surrendered souls. This checking curtain is called the māyā energy of the Supreme Lord, and it controls the limited vision of the rebellious soul. It is explained as follows.

SB Canto 8

SB 8.1.11, Purport:

Offering prayers to Kṛṣṇa, Śrīmatī Kuntīdevī, the mother of the Pāṇḍavas, said, alakṣyaṁ sarva-bhūtānām antar bahir avasthitam: (SB 1.8.18) "Kṛṣṇa, You reside both inside and outside of everything, yet the unintelligent conditioned souls cannot see You." In Bhagavad-gītā it is said that one can see the Supreme Personality of Godhead through jñāna-cakṣuṣaḥ, eyes of knowledge. He who opens these eyes of knowledge is called a spiritual master. Thus we offer our prayers to the spiritual master with the following śloka:

om ajñāna-timirāndhasya

jñānāñjana-śalākayā

cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena

tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.8.18 -- New York, April 10, 1973:

Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)

kunty uvāca

namasye puruṣaṁ tvādyam

īśvaraṁ prakṛteḥ param

alakṣyaṁ sarva-bhūtānām

antar bahir avasthitam

(SB 1.8.18)

Translation: "Śrīmatī Kuntī said: O Kṛṣṇa, I offer my obeisances unto You because You are the original personality and are unaffected by the qualities of the material world. You are existing both within and without everything, yet You are invisible to all."

Prabhupāda: So this is the position of God, that He is everywhere. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham. He is within this universe; He is within the atom also. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayā...

eko 'py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṇḍa-koṭiṁ

yac-chaktir asti jagad-aṇḍa-cayā yad-antaḥ

aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-sthaṁ

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Bs. 5.35)

Lecture on SB 1.8.18 -- New York, April 10, 1973:

So here Kuntī says, alakṣyaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (SB 1.8.18). Sarva-bhūtānām, "All living entities..." alakṣyam, "You are invisible, invisible, although," antar bahir avasthitam, "You are within and without." God is within yourself. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Īśvara, the Supreme Lord, is situated in everyone's heart. The yoga system means to see, find out that God, Paramātmā, or meditate upon Him. Now the yoga system has come down as bodily exercise to keep the health very good, to reduce fat, this is yoga system. This is not yoga system.

Lecture on SB 1.8.18 -- New York, April 10, 1973:

So meditation means concentrating the mind to find out God, where He is within my heart. That is real perfection of yoga. So people do not know this science. Here it is nicely explained that antar bahir avasthitam. The virāḍ-rūpa... Just like Arjuna wanted to see the gigantic form of God. He showed him. So we can see the gigantic form in this universe. That is described in the Bhāgavatam.

Lecture on SB 1.8.18 -- New York, April 10, 1973:

So at the present moment, most people, they are in the lower grades of the material qualities, ignorance and passion. Therefore you see all over the world, rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ kāma-lobha (SB 1.2.19). Every man is greedy and lusty. Every man. So in this position, it is very difficult. Alakṣyaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (SB 1.8.18). So unless you change this quality... This quality can be changed. It is not that it is stereotyped. How these European, American boys and girls, they are coming to Kṛṣṇa consciousness? How? They have changed their quality. By the process, we have got this process. In this process we can change the quality. That process is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā:

māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa

bhakti-yogena sevate

sa guṇān samatītyaitān

brahma-bhūyāya kalpate

(BG 14.26)

Lecture on SB 1.8.18 -- New York, April 10, 1973:

So Kṛṣṇa, although He happened to be nephew of Kuntī... Kuntī was Kṛṣṇa's father's sister. But because (s)he was devotee, she knew that "Kṛṣṇa also, although He is playing the part of my nephew, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Therefore she said, namasye puruṣaṁ tvādyam īśvaraṁ prakṛteḥ param: (SB 1.8.18) "You are īśvara, You are the controller." What kind of controller? There are so many, food controller and house controller, these... You have got. No. Not that kind of controller. Prakṛteḥ param: "You are controller. Your position is beyond this material world," prakṛteḥ. Prakṛti means this material world. Prakṛteḥ param.

Lecture on SB 1.8.18 -- Mayapura, September 28, 1974:

Prabhupāda: Now, you editor, I think it has to be correct. Tvā means "You." It is not "although." Read.

Nitāi: (reads translation responsively with devotees) "Śrīmatī Kuntī said: O Kṛṣṇa, I offer my obeisances unto You because You are the original personality and are unaffected by the qualities of material nature. You are existing both within and without everything, yet You are invisible to all."

Prabhupāda:

namasye puruṣaṁ tvādyam

īśvaraṁ prakṛteḥ param

alakṣyaṁ sarva-bhūtānām

antar bahir avasthitam

(SB 1.8.18)

So Kuntī is the aunt, pisimā, aunt of Kṛṣṇa. Vasudeva's sister, Kuntī. So when Kṛṣṇa was going back to Dvārakā, after finishing the Battle of Kurukṣetra and establishing Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira on the throne, His mission... His mission was that Duryodhana should be thrown out, and Yudhiṣṭhira must sit down on the throne. Dharma, Dharmarāja.

Lecture on SB 1.8.18 -- Mayapura, September 28, 1974:

Just like we are sitting down this house. We cannot see what is going on upstairs. Alakṣyam. So if Kṛṣṇa is a person beyond this material creation, how we can see Him? Alakṣyam. Alakṣyaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (SB 1.8.18). Still, He is in everyone's heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61).

So alakṣyam, invisible, those who are yogis, they are trying to see. They are trying to... Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1). Dhyānāvasthita. They are trying to see. So there are different processes of seeing, but actually you can see by one process. That is bhakti. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). So those who have taken the path of devotional service, they'll be able to understand that Kṛṣṇa is everywhere.

Lecture on SB 1.8.18 -- Chicago, July 4, 1974 :

These things cannot be understood by your material blunt eyes or senses. But if they are purified, sevonukhe hi jihvādau, if they are purified by the process of devotional service, you can see Kṛṣṇa at all times and everywhere. But for ordinary person, alakṣyam: not visible. Kṛṣṇa is everywhere, God is everywhere, aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham. So alakṣyam sarva-bhūtānām. Although Kṛṣṇa is outside and inside, both, still we cannot see Kṛṣṇa unless we have got the eyes to see Kṛṣṇa.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to open the eyes how to see Kṛṣṇa, and if you can see Kṛṣṇa, antah bahih, then your life is successful. Therefore śāstra says that, antar bahir.

antar bahir yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kiṁ

nāntar bahir yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim

Lecture on SB 1.8.18-19 -- Bombay, April 9, 1971:

The manifestation of this material world is the impersonal feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And His personal feature is situated in everyone's heart as Paramātmā. Therefore it is said here, alakṣyaṁ sarva-bhūtānām antar bahir avasthitam (SB 1.8.18). Although Kṛṣṇa, or God, is outside and inside, still, He is not visible. Still, he is not visible. Alakṣyaṁ sarva-bhūtānām. He is inside and outside, but still, He is not visible.

Lecture on SB 1.8.18-19 -- Bombay, April 9, 1971:

So not visible to whom? Not visible to the ordinary persons who are not in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. For them He is not visible. Although He is inside and outside, still, He is not visible. Alakṣyaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (SB 1.8.18). Sarva-bhūtānām means all these ordinary living entities, they cannot see Kṛṣṇa, or God, either within or outside. Why? Kṛṣṇa says also in the Bhagavad-gītā, nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ: (BG 7.25) "I am not visible to everyone because there is a curtain which is covering the eyes of the ordinary persons, yoga-māyā."

Lecture on SB 1.8.18-19 -- Bombay, April 9, 1971:

Just like you have got cataract, you cannot see, you become blind. But if the cataract is operated, then your vision is again revived. So you can see. Ordinarily, you cannot see God, either inside or outside. Alakṣyaṁ sarva-bhūtānām antar bahiḥ (SB 1.8.18). Although we say that God is there within, God is outside, but why you cannot see? Because we are not devotees. But as soon as you become a devotee, you become a lover of God or Kṛṣṇa, then you can see.

Lecture on SB 1.8.18-19 -- Bombay, April 9, 1971:

Kṛṣṇa is present everywhere. He says, antar bahir avasthitam. The Brahma-saṁhitā says,

premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena

santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti

yaṁ śyāmasundaram acintya-guṇa-svarūpaṁ

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Bs. 5.38)

Lecture on SB 1.8.18-19 -- Bombay, April 9, 1971:

The others, they will simply say, "Where is God? God is dead. Can you show me God?" Such persons will never be able to understand what is God because they want to see God by challenging. That is not possible. God is not visible by challenging. Simply by love and surrender. Then God can be seen. Alakṣyaṁ sarva-bhūtānām antar bahir avasthitam (SB 1.8.18).

Therefore śāstra says that alakṣya... Ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim: (Nārada Pañcarātra) "If one has come to the point of worshiping the Supreme Lord, there is no more necessity of undergoing severe austerities and penances." Because others, karmīs and yogis, for their sense gratification, karmīs, jñānīs, and yogis, they have to undergo severe austerities.

Lecture on SB 1.8.19 -- Mayapura, September 29, 1974:

So unless we become very serious to understand Kṛṣṇa, it is very, very difficult to understand Kṛṣṇa. Māyā-javanikācchannam. On the one side, Kuntī says, antar bahir avasthitam: "Kṛṣṇa, You are within..." Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe (BG 18.61). Kṛṣṇa is not far away. Kṛṣṇa is always with you. He, He's so friendly that just like two birds... It is said in the Upaniṣads: the one bird is eating the fruit of the tree; another bird is simply guiding and seeing. Because this material world, living entity wanted to enjoy.

Lecture on SB 1.8.20 -- New York, April 12, 1973:

Therefore, anyone who is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and discharging the duties nicely, he is the most fortunate man, most perfect man. That is, Kuntīdevī is humbly submitting. Although is womanly body, she is a devotee. She is not like ordinary woman, less intelligent. She is the most in... She has recognized Kṛṣṇa, that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. "Although He has come to me, materially, as my nephew, to offer me respect, but He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead." There in the previous verse she said, alakṣyaṁ sarva-bhūtānām antar bahir avasthitam: (SB 1.8.18) "You are not seen by ordinary men, although You are inside and outside." In another verse also, na lakṣyase mūḍha-dṛśā: (SB 1.8.19) "Fools and rascals cannot see You." That means Kuntī sees Him. Unless she sees Kṛṣṇa as He is, how she can say, mūḍha-dṛśā na lakṣyase? And (s)he says, prakṛteḥ param: "You are transcendental to this material creation."

Lecture on SB 1.8.21 -- New York, April 13, 1973:

Devotee:

kṛṣṇāya vāsudevāya

devakī-nandanāya ca

nanda-gopa-kumārāya

govindāya namo namaḥ

(SB 1.8.21)

"Let me therefore offer my respectful obeisances unto the Lord, who has become the son of Vasudeva, the pleasure of Devakī, the boy of Nanda and the other cowherd men of Vṛndāvana, and the enlivener of the cows and senses."

Prabhupāda: So in the beginning Kuntīdevī said that namasye puruṣaṁ tvādyam īśvaraṁ prakṛteḥ param: (SB 1.8.18) "I offer my obeisances unto the person, puruṣam, who is prakṛteḥ param, who is beyond this material manifestation." Kṛṣṇa is complete spirit soul, Supersoul. He has no material body. So in the beginning Kuntīdevī gave us this understanding that God, the supreme puruṣa... Puruṣa means person. He's not imperson. Puruṣa. But He's not a puruṣa of this material world, not a personality of this material creation. That is to be understood. The impersonalists cannot accommodate in their poor fund of knowledge how the Supreme Absolute Truth can become a person, because whenever they think of person they think of a person of this material world. That is their defect. So they have poor fund of knowledge. Why God should be a person of this material world? So that was cleared in the beginning. Prakṛteḥ param, beyond this material creation, but He is a person.

Lecture on SB 1.8.21 -- New York, April 13, 1973:

Therefore this is the best service, to inform him that "You are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. You are son of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is opulent, six kind of opulence. Why you are traveling, why you are rotting in this material world?" This is the greatest service, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But māyā is very strong. Still, it is the duty of every kṛṣṇa-bhakta to try to enlighten everyone to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Just like Kuntīdevī is pointing out. First of all she said, alakṣyaṁ sarva-bhūtānām antar bahir avasthi... (SB 1.8.18). Although Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Person, is without and within, still, to the rascals and fools, He is invisible. Therefore she is pointing out: "Here is the Lord, kṛṣṇāya vāsudevāya (SB 1.8.21)." He is the all-pervading Supreme Personality of Godhead, but He's very much pleased to become the son of Devakī. Devakī-nandanāya.

Lecture on SB 1.8.21 -- Mayapura, October 1, 1974:

Devotee: Namasye puruṣaṁ tvādyam.

Prabhupāda: Ah. Namasye puruṣam... What is that verse?

Devotee: Ādyam.

Prabhupāda: Ādyam.

Devotee: Tvādyam.

Prabhupāda: Tvā. Tvā means "You." So īśvaraṁ prakṛteḥ param. He is beyond the jurisdiction of this material world, prakṛteḥ param. So He is neither brāhmaṇa... This brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahma..., they are these material designations. They are not actually fact. So, as Kṛṣṇa is not belonging to this material world...

Lecture on SB 7.9.34 -- Mayapur, March 12, 1976:

As Kṛṣṇa is being described, Viṣṇu, within this universe, so He is not only within the universe as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu; He is within your heart also. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). And not only within your heart, but as many atoms are there, the composition of your body, in each atom He is there. Aṇḍāntara-stha paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham. So Kṛṣṇa is everywhere. But why you cannot see? Antar-bahir-avasthitam. Kṛṣṇa is within and without. If He is within every atom, then atoms are there, outside and inside. So antar-bahiḥ, He is situated. Anyone can see Him, but He cannot be seen to the nondevotee. He cannot be... Nāyaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ. He is not exposed to everyone. He is simply exposed to the devotee. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayan... (Bs. 5.38).

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Samuel Alexander:

Hari-śauri: Uh... Canto One, Chapter Eight, text 18, 19 and 20. So I'll just do the English, or the overall verse?

Hayagrīva: Read the English.

Hari-śauri: "Śrīmatī Kuntī said: O Kṛṣṇa, I offer my obeisances unto You because You are the original personality and are unaffected by the qualities of the material world. You are existing both within and without everything, yet You are invisible to all. Being beyond the range of limited sense perception, the eternally irreproachable factor covered by the curtain of deluding energy, You are invisible to the foolish observer, exactly as an actor dressed as a player is not recognized. You Yourself descend to propagate the transcen..."