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Chapter 11: The Universal Form

Verse 37 of 52
Bg 11.37

कस्माच्च ते न नमेरन्महात्मन्गरीयसे ब्रह्मणो ऽप्यादिकर्त्रे अनन्त देवेश जगन्निवास त्वमक्षरं सदसत्तत्परं यत्

kasmāc ca te na nameran mahātman garīyase brahmaṇo 'py ādi-kartre ananta deveśa jagan-nivāsa tvam akṣaraṁ sad-asat tat-paraṁ yat

Synonyms

kasmātwhy; caalso; teunto You; nanot; nameranoffer proper obeisances; mahātmanO great one; garīyaseYou are better than; brahmaṇaḥBrahmā; apialthough; ādi-kartrethe supreme creator; anantaunlimited; jagat-nivāsaO refuge of the universe; tvamYou are; akṣaramimperishable; sat-asatcause and effect; tat-paramtranscendental; yatbecause..

Translation

O great one, who stands above even Brahmā, You are the original master. Why should they not offer their homage up to You, O limitless one? O refuge of the universe, You are the invincible source, the cause of all causes, transcendental to this material manifestation.

Purport

By this offering of obeisances, Arjuna indicates that Kṛṣṇa is worshipable by everyone. He is all-pervading, and He is the Soul of every soul. Arjuna is addressing Kṛṣṇa as mahātmā, which means that He is most magnanimous and unlimited. Ananta indicates that there is nothing which is not covered by the influence and energy of the Supreme Lord, and deveśa means that He is the controller of all demigods and is above them all. He is the center of the whole universe. Arjuna also thought that it was fitting that all the perfect living entities and all powerful demigods offer their respectful obeisances unto Him because no one is greater than Him. He especially mentions that Kṛṣṇa is greater than Brahmā because Brahmā is created by Him. Brahmā is born out of the lotus stem grown from the navel abdomen of Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, who is Kṛṣṇa's plenary expansion; therefore Brahmā and Lord Śiva, who is born of Brahmā, and all other demigods must offer their respectful obeisances. Thus the Lord is respected by Lord Śiva and Brahmā and similar other demigods. The word akṣaram is very significant because this material creation is subject to destruction, but the Lord is above this material creation. He is the cause of all causes, and being so, He is superior to all the conditioned souls within this material nature as well as the material cosmic manifestation itself. He is therefore the all-great Supreme.

Verse 37 of 52
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