🪷 Bhagavad-Gītā · 9.4

Chapter 9 · राजविद्याराजगुह्ययोग · Rāja-Vidyā-Rāja-Guhya-Yoga · "The Royal Knowledge & Royal Secret" · Verse 4 of 34

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मया ततमिदं सर्वं जगदव्यक्तमूर्तिना।

मत्स्थानि सर्वभूतानि न चाहं तेष्ववस्थितः।।9.4।।
Bhagavad-Gītā 9.4 · the yathārtha śloka (Devanāgarī Sanskrit · canonical)

🪷 English Translations

Five authentic English voices · each from a distinct sampradāya · together revealing the verse's full śabda-tattva.

Shri Purohit Swami · Poetic English · 1935 · public domain · Cosmo Press tradition
9.4 The whole world is pervaded by Me, yet My form is not seen. All living things have their being in Me, yet I am not limited by them.
Swami Sivananda · Direct prose · Divine Life Society
9.4 All this world is pervaded by Me in My unmanifest aspect; all beings exist in Me, but I do not dwell in them.
Swami Gambīrānanda · Word-key glosses · Advaita Ashrama · Śaṅkara-school
9.4 Idam, this; sarvam, whole; jagat, world; is tatam, pervaded; maya, by Me; through the supreme nature, that I have, avyakta-murtina, in My unmanifest form, in that form in which My nature is not manifest, i.e. in My form which is beyond the range of the organs. Sarva-bhutani, all beings, from Brahma to a clump of grass; matsthani, exist in Me, are established in Me in that unmanifest form. For, no created thing that is bereft of the Self (i.e. of Reality) can be conceived of as an object of practical use. Therefore, being possessed of their reality through Me who am their Self, they exist in Me. Hence they are said to be established in Me. I Myself am the Self of those created things. Conseently, it appears to people of little understanding that I dwell in them. Hence I say: Na ca aham, but I am not; avasthitah, contained; tesu, in them, in the created things. Since unlike gross objects I am not in contact with anything, therefore I am certainly the inmost core even of space. For, a thing that has no contact with anything cannot exist like something contained in a receptacle. For this very reason that I am not in contact with anyting-
Swami Ādidevānanda · Śrī-Vaiṣṇava perspective · Rāmānuja school
9.4 This 'entire universe,' composed to sentient and non-sentient beings, is pervaded by Me, the inner controller, whose 'form is not manifest,' namely, whose essential nature is unmanifest. The meaning is that all this is pervaded by Me, the Principal (Sesi), so that I may sustain and rule this universe. This, the pervasion of all by the inner controller, who is invisible to the entire group of sentient and non-sentient beings, is taught in the following passage of the Antaryami-brahmana: 'He who dwells in the earth ৷৷. whom the earth 'does not know' (Br. U., 3.7.3) and 'He who dwells in the self ৷৷. whom the self does not know etc.,' (Br. U. Madh., 3.7.22). Therefore 'all beings abide in Me'; all beings rest in Me who am their inner controller. In the same Brahmana it is taught that their existence and control are dependent on Him, as they are subject to His control and as they constitute His body: 'He whose body is the earth ৷৷. who controls the earth from within' (Br. U., 3.7.3) and 'He whose body is the self ৷৷. He who controls the self from within' (Br. U. Madh., 3.7.22). So also His primacy over everything is taught. 'I am not in them,' namely, I do not 'depend' on them for My existence. There is no help derived from them for My existence.
Dr. S. Sankaranarayan · Academic precision · modern scholarly
9.4. This entire universe is pervaded by Me, having the unmanifest form (aspect); all beings exist in Me and I do not exist in them.

🪷 English Commentaries · The Ācārya Voices

The classical commentary tradition rendered in English · each ācārya speaks from their own sampradāya · the seer chooses the depth of darśana.

Swami Sivananda · Verse-by-verse word-keys with Sanskrit anchors
9.4 मया by Me? ततम् pervaded? इदम् this? सर्वम् all? जगत् world? अव्यक्तमूर्तिना by the unmanifested form? मत्स्थानि exist in Me? सर्वभूतानि all beings? न not? च and? अहम् I? तेषु in them? अवस्थितः placed.Commentary Avyaktamurti is Para Brahman or the Supreme Unmanifested Being invisible to the senses but cognisable through intuition. All beings from Brahma? the Creator? down to the blade of grass or an ant? dwell in the transcendental Para Brahman. They have no independent existence they exist through the Self which is the support for everythin? which underlies them all.Nothing here contains It. As Brahman is the Self of all beings? one may imagine that It dwells in them. But it is not so. How could it be How can the Infinite be contained in a finite object Brahman has no connection or contact with any material object? just as a chair or a table has contact with the ground or a man or a book. So It does not dwell in those beings. That which has no connection or contact with objects or beings cannot be contained anywhere as if in a vessel? trunk? room or receptacle. The Self is not rooted in all these forms. It is not contained by any of these forms just as the ether is not contained in any form though all forms are derived from the ether.All beings appear to be living in Brahman? but this is an illusion. If this illusion vanishes? nothing remains anywhere except Brahman. When ignorance? the cause of this illusion? disappears? the very idea of the existence of these beings also will vanish.In verses 4 and 5 the Lord uses a paradox or an apparent contradiction All beings dwell in Me and yet do not dwell in Me I do not dwell in them. For a thinker there is no real contradiction at all. Just as space contains all beings and yet is not touched by them? so also Para Brahman contains everything and yet is not touched by them. Even Mulaprakriti? the source or womb of this world? is supported by Brahman. Brahman has no support or root. It rests in Its own pristine glory. (Cf.VII.12?24VIII.22)
Swami Gambīrānanda · Advaita-school commentary (Śaṅkara tradition)
9.4 Idam, this; sarvam, whole; jagat, world; is tatam, pervaded; maya, by Me; through the supreme nature, that I have, avyakta-murtina, in My unmanifest form, in that form in which My nature is not manifest, i.e. in My form which is beyond the range of the organs. Sarva-bhutani, all beings, from Brahma to a clump of grass; matsthani, exist in Me, are established in Me in that unmanifest form. For, no created thing that is bereft of the Self (i.e. of Reality) can be conceived of as an object of practical use. Therefore, being possessed of their reality through Me who am their Self, they exist in Me. Hence they are said to be established in Me. I Myself am the Self of those created things. Conseently, it appears to people of little understanding that I dwell in them. Hence I say: Na ca aham, but I am not; avasthitah, contained; tesu, in them, in the created things. Since unlike gross objects I am not in contact with anything, therefore I am certainly the inmost core even of space. For, a thing that has no contact with anything cannot exist like something contained in a receptacle. For this very reason that I am not in contact with anyting-
Swami Ādidevānanda · Rāmānuja Śrī-Vaiṣṇava commentary
9.4 This 'entire universe,' composed to sentient and non-sentient beings, is pervaded by Me, the inner controller, whose 'form is not manifest,' namely, whose essential nature is unmanifest. The meaning is that all this is pervaded by Me, the Principal (Sesi), so that I may sustain and rule this universe. This, the pervasion of all by the inner controller, who is invisible to the entire group of sentient and non-sentient beings, is taught in the following passage of the Antaryami-brahmana: 'He who dwells in the earth ৷৷. whom the earth 'does not know' (Br. U., 3.7.3) and 'He who dwells in the self ৷৷. whom the self does not know etc.,' (Br. U. Madh., 3.7.22). Therefore 'all beings abide in Me'; all beings rest in Me who am their inner controller. In the same Brahmana it is taught that their existence and control are dependent on Him, as they are subject to His control and as they constitute His body: 'He whose body is the earth ৷৷. who controls the earth from within' (Br. U., 3.7.3) and 'He whose body is the self ৷৷. He who controls the self from within' (Br. U. Madh., 3.7.22). So also His primacy over everything is taught. 'I am not in them,' namely, I do not 'depend' on them for My existence. There is no help derived from them for My existence.
Dr. S. Sankaranarayan · Modern academic scholarship
9.4 Maya etc. All beings exist in Me : Because no other abode of rest is available, even if one wanders [in search of it] for long. The beings (or elements) that form the objects of knowledge possess their well-known nature of insentiency. When these beings manifest with this nature foremost, their other innate nature viz., sentiency, that is opposed to this [former nature], remain hidden. This is what He says by I do not exist in them.
Swami Chinmayānanda · Chinmaya Mission · modern Vedantic teaching
।।9.4।। यह सम्पूर्ण जगत् मेरे अव्यक्त स्वरूप के द्वारा व्याप्त है किसी वस्तु की सूक्ष्मता उसकी व्यापकता से नापी जाती है और इसलिए सूक्ष्मतम वस्तु का सर्वव्यापक होना अनिवार्य है। देशकाल से परिच्छिन्न (सीमित) सभी वस्तुओं का आकार तथा नाश होता है अत सर्वव्यापी वस्तु निराकार और नाशरहित होगी। इस प्रकार आत्मतत्त्व अपने मूल अव्यक्तस्वरूप से सम्पूर्ण जगत् में व्याप्त है? जैसे मिट्टी के बने सभी रूपों और आकारों वाले घटों में मिट्टी व्याप्त होती है।यदि? इस प्रकार? अनन्तपरिच्छिन्न तत्त्व सान्त और परिच्छिन्न जगत् को व्याप्त किये है? तो इन दोनों में निश्चित रूप से क्या संबंध है क्या यह जगत् अनन्ततत्त्व से प्रकट हुआ है अथवा क्या अनन्त ने सान्त का निर्माण किया है या फिर क्या अनन्त वस्तु स्वयं विकार को प्राप्त होकर यह जगत् बन गयी? जैसे दूध दही बनता है अथवा? क्या इन दोनों में पितापुत्र या स्वामीभृत्य का संबंध है विश्व के विभिन्न धर्म ऐसे प्रश्नों से भरे हुए हैं। द्वैतवादी लोग ही अनन्त और सान्त? ईश्वर और भक्त के मध्य किसीनकिसी प्रकार के काल्पनिक संबंध में रम सकते हैं। परन्तु अद्वैती ऐसे किसी भी प्रकार के संबंध को स्वीकार नहीं कर सकते? क्योंकि संबंध किन्हीं दो वस्तुओं में ही हो सकता है? जब कि उनके सिद्धांतानुसार केवल आत्मा ही एकमेव अद्वितीय पारमार्थिक सत्य वस्तु है।इस श्लोक की दूसरी पंक्ति में सत्य और मिथ्या के बीच के इस संबंधरहित संबंध का शास्त्रीय वर्णन किया गया है। समस्त भूत मुझमें स्थित हैं? परन्तु मैं उनमें अवस्थित नहीं हूँ। शास्त्रीय पद्धति से अनभिज्ञ उतावले पाठकों को यह कथन एक अनाकलनीय विरोधाभास प्रतीत होगा? जिसे अर्थशून्य शब्दों के जमघट के द्वारा व्यक्त किया गया है। परन्तु जिसने अध्यास के सिद्धांत को सम्यक् प्रकार से समझ लिया है? उसके लिए उक्त कथन का अर्थ अत्यन्त सरल है। किसी वस्तु के अज्ञान से उस पर किसी अन्य वस्तु की कल्पना करना अध्यास है जैसे एक स्तम्भ पर प्रेत की कल्पना। शास्त्रीय भाषा में स्तम्भ को अधिष्ठान और प्रेत को अध्यास कहेंगे। इस दृष्टान्त में स्तम्भ (अधिष्ठान) के बिना प्रेत का आभास नहीं हो सकता था। अब स्तम्भ की दृष्टि से उसमें और उस अध्यस्त प्रेत में निश्चित रूप से कौन सा संबंध है कल्पना करें कि स्तम्भ में प्रेत देखकर मोहित हुए व्यक्ति को वह स्तम्भ स्वयंका सम्यक् ज्ञान कराना चाहता है? तो वह किस प्रकार उपदेश देगा वह निर्दोष स्तम्भ उस मूढ़ पुरुष के प्रति असीम प्रेम के कारण भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण के समान ही उपदेश देगा। वह कहेगा निसन्देह ही वह प्रेत मुझमें स्थित है? परन्तु मैं उसमें नहीं हूँ और इसलिए? मैने कदापि किसी भी मूढ़ यात्री को भयभीत नहीं किया है। इसी प्रकार भगवान् यहाँ कहते हैं? मैं अपने अव्यक्त स्वरूप से इस सम्पूर्ण व्यक्त जगत् का अधिष्ठान हूँ। यद्यपि परमात्मा इस नानारूपमय सृष्टि का अधिष्ठान है? तथापि वह उनके गुण दोष? सुख दुख? जन्ममृत्यु आदि से लिप्त नहीं होता? क्योंकि मैं उनमें अवस्थित नहीं हूँ।इस पंक्ति में पूर्व1 कथित सिद्धांत ही प्रतिध्वनित होता है? जहाँ सम्भवत और अधिक लहरदार भाषा में इसे व्यक्त किया गया था कि? मैं उनमें नहीं हूँ? वे मुझमें है। संक्षेप में? यहाँ सूचित किया गया है कि जड़ उपाधियों से तादात्म्य के कारण आत्मा उनमें स्थित हुआ मानो दुखीसंसारी जीव बना है और इस मिथ्या तादात्म्य की निवृत्ति से उसे बोध होता है कि वास्तव में? मैं अविनाशी? अव्यक्तस्वरूप आत्मा उनमें स्थित नहीं हूँ।उपर्युक्त कथन से मन में यह विचार आ सकता है कि तब अनन्त तत्त्व में परिच्छिन्न का किसी अन्य प्रकार का अस्तित्व हो सकता है परन्तु भगवान् कहते हैं --

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सर्वम् कृष्णार्पणम् — this verse is one maṇi (jewel) on Krishna's thread (BG 7.7)