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Bhagavad-gītā 13.17

अविभक्तं च भूतेषु विभक्तमिव च स्थितम् । भूतभर्तृ च तज्ज्ञेयं ग्रसिष्णु प्रभविष्णु च ॥ १७ ॥
avibhaktaṁ ca bhūteṣu
[avibhaktam cha bhooteshu]
vibhaktam iva ca sthitam
[vibhaktam iva cha sthitam]
bhūta-bhartṛ ca taj jñeyaṁ
[bhoota-bhartri cha taj jneyam]
grasiṣṇu prabhaviṣṇu ca
[grasishnu prabhavishnu cha]
Word-for-word
avibhaktam — without division ca — also bhūteṣu — in all living beings vibhaktam — divided iva — as if ca — also sthitam — situated bhūta - bhartṛ — the maintainer of all living entities ca — also tat — that jñeyam — to be understood grasiṣṇu — devouring prabhaviṣṇu — developing ca — also .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
avibhaktaṁ ca bhūteṣu
avibhaktam
without division
ca
also
bhūteṣu
in all living beings
vibhaktam iva ca sthitam
vibhaktam
divided
iva
as if
ca
also
sthitam
situated
bhūta-bhartṛ ca taj jñeyaṁ
bhūta - bhartṛ
the maintainer of all living entities
ca
also
tat
that
jñeyam
to be understood
grasiṣṇu prabhaviṣṇu ca
grasiṣṇu
devouring
prabhaviṣṇu
developing
ca
also .
Important Words
  • avibhaktam — without division
    A- + vibhakta. The Paramātmā is undivided in His own being, yet present in every heart — and the next word (vibhaktam iva) keeps the difference alive: He appears divided across jīvas without becoming many. Acintya-bhedābheda, not Māyāvāda — the plurality of beings is real, the Lord's oneness is real, simultaneously.
  • vibhaktam — divided
    But qualified immediately by *iva* — "as if." The Lord *seems* divided across beings; He is not. Anyone who reads vibhakta literally without the iva has missed the verse.
  • bhūta - bhartṛ — the maintainer of all living entities
    Compound: bhūta (beings) + bhartṛ (bearer). The same Lord who appears divided also bears every being He inhabits.
  • grasiṣṇu — devouring
    Desiderative noun from √gras ("to swallow"). At dissolution, the Lord swallows all that He maintained. The same hand that feeds also withdraws the feeding.
  • prabhaviṣṇu — developing
    Paired with grasiṣṇu. The Lord is creator *and* destroyer — and these are not two Lords, but one. The cycle of generation and reabsorption is His single act.
Although the Supersoul appears to be divided among all beings, He is never divided. He is situated as one. Although He is the maintainer of every living entity, it is to be understood that He devours and develops all.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning (तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Though Brahman is one and undivided, it appears parcelled out in many beings — like one moon reflected in many pots. It is the sustainer of all, the dissolver at pralaya, and the projector at sṛṣṭi. Creation, maintenance, dissolution all rest on the same one.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
The 'iva' ('as if') is the doctrinal hinge: the division is apparent, not real. Vaiṣṇava commentators read this as describing the Paramātmā's antaryāmin presence — one Lord seemingly multiplied across many hearts; Advaita reads the same as adhyāsa (superimposition) of the multiple onto the One. Either way, the second hemistich names the three classical Brahman-functions of sustenance, dissolution, and creation.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
तत् ज्ञेयं (ब्रह्म) भूतेषु अविभक्तं (सत्), विभक्तम् इव च स्थितम् (अस्ति); (तत्) भूत-भर्तृ च, ग्रसिष्णु प्रभविष्णु च (अस्ति) ॥
tat jñeyaṃ (brahma) bhūteṣu avibhaktaṃ (sat), vibhaktam iva ca sthitam (asti); (tat) bhūta-bhartṛ ca, grasiṣṇu prabhaviṣṇu ca (asti) ||
That object-of-knowledge (Brahman), though undivided among beings, abides as if divided. It is the sustainer of beings, the devourer (at dissolution), and the generator (at creation).
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
अविभक्तं च भूतेषु विभक्तम् इव च स्थितम् । भूत-भर्तृ च तत् ज्ञेयं ग्रसिष्णु प्रभविष्णु च ॥
avibhaktaṃ ca bhūteṣu vibhaktam iva ca sthitam | bhūta-bhartṛ ca tat jñeyaṃ grasiṣṇu prabhaviṣṇu ca ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
अविभक्तम् avibhaktam अ + विभक्त (p.p.p. (past passive participle)) nom.sg. (nominative singular)n. undivided
भूतेषु bhūteṣu भूत (n.) loc.pl. (locative plural) among beings
विभक्तम् vibhaktam विभक्त (p.p.p. (past passive participle)) nom.sg. (nominative singular)n. divided
इव iva ind. (indeclinable), comparative as if
स्थितम् sthitam √स्था p.p.p. (past passive participle) nom.sg. (nominative singular)n. situated
भूत-भर्तृ bhūta-bhartṛ भूत (n.) + भर्तृ (agent-stem) nom.sg. (nominative singular)n., tatpuruṣa cpd. (compound) sustainer of beings
तत् tat तद् pron. (pronoun) nom.sg. (nominative singular)n. that
ज्ञेयम् jñeyam √ज्ञा fut. (future)pass. (passive)part. nom.sg. (nominative singular)n. to be known
ग्रसिष्णु grasiṣṇu √ग्रस् + इष्णु (adj.) nom.sg. (nominative singular)n. the devourer
प्रभविष्णु prabhaviṣṇu प्र + √भू + इष्णु (adj.) nom.sg. (nominative singular)n. the generator
Purport

The Lord is situated in everyone’s heart as the Supersoul. Does this mean that He has become divided? No. Actually, He is one. The example is given of the sun: The sun, at the meridian, is situated in its place. But if one goes for five thousand miles in all directions and asks, “Where is the sun?” everyone will say that it is shining on his head. In the Vedic literature this example is given to show that although He is undivided, He is situated as if divided. Also it is said in Vedic literature that one Viṣṇu is present everywhere by His omnipotence, just as the sun appears in many places to many persons. And the Supreme Lord, although the maintainer of every living entity, devours everything at the time of annihilation. This was confirmed in the Eleventh Chapter when the Lord said that He had come to devour all the warriors assembled at Kurukṣetra. He also mentioned that in the form of time He devours also. He is the annihilator, the killer of all. When there is creation, He develops all from their original state, and at the time of annihilation He devours them. The Vedic hymns confirm the fact that He is the origin of all living entities and the rest of all. After creation, everything rests in His omnipotence, and after annihilation everything again returns to rest in Him. These are the confirmations of Vedic hymns. Yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante yena jātāni jīvanti yat prayanty abhisaṁ viśanti tad brahma tad vijijñāsasva ( Taittirīya Upaniṣad 3.1).

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
17. He is undivided, and also divided in all the living entities. He is to be known as the maintainer, the destroyer and the creator.
Commentary

As the cause, which is one (avibhaktiam), He is situated in all the moving and non-moving entities, and as the effect or product, He is situated separately as each object. As the form of Nārāyaṇa, He is the protection of the living entities (bhūtā-bhartṛ) during the duration of maintenance, the destruction (grahiṣṇu) at the time of pralaya, and the creation of all beings (prabhaviṣṇu) at the time of creation. The word prabhaviṣṇu which usually means “lord” is taken here as meaning “what is created” since the word can also mean “he who is the product (prabhavana) because the cause is manifest in the effects.”

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
17. He is undivided, and also divided in all the living entities. He is to be known as maintenance, destruction and the creation of all things.
Commentary

He is one, not divided up, whereas all the jīvas are separate entities (avibhaktam). But He also is situated separately like separate jīvas (vibhaktam iva). The śruti says that though He is one, He appears as many: eko’pi san bahudhā yo vibhāti. (Gopāla Tāpanī Upaniṣad) Smṛti says: eka eva paro viṣṇuḥ sarvatrāpi na saṁśayaḥ aiśvaryād rūpam ekaṁ ca sūryavad bahudheyate The one Viṣṇu is situated everywhere without doubt. Like the sun, He makes the one form become many by His powers. Matsya Purāṇa He is the protection of the living entities (bhūta bhṛt) during the duration of the kalpa, and at pralaya, He is the destruction of them (grasiṣṇu) by His kāla śakti. And at the time of creation, He takes the role of production (prabhaviṣṇu), being various effects, through his energies of jīva and pradhāna. Śruti says: yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante yena jātāni jīvanti yat prayanty abhisaṁviśanti tad brahma tad vijijñāsasva You should know that brahman from which all entities arise, by which those who took birth live, and towards which they move and enter. Taittirīya Upaniṣad 3.1.1

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Commentary

Krsna is closing the definition of the knowable, and if one examines the sanskrit, he will see that Srila Prabhupada is putting in the Supersoul as the actual conclusion that Krsna reaches. Srila Prabhupada so kindly is doing this to make it easier for us to understand.

Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

Supersoul is “Undivided”

Although Supersoul appears divided, but is situated as one
Although maintainer of all living entities, He devours and develops all LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 13.7 & 13.18: Finally, in Text 13.18, Krishna clearly reveals the identity of the one He has been describing. The jneyam is the Supersoul, who is hrdi-sarvasya, within the heart of all. Srila Prabhupada kindly informed us earlier in his translations and purports to Texts 13.14, 13.15, and 13.17

that the supreme knowable object, who has been described as unknowable, is nevertheless situated in

everyone’s heart as Paramatma. Srila Prabhupada cites several verses from the Svetasvatara Upanishad to

substantiate that, these Bhagavad-gita texts have been describing neither the living entity nor Brahman, but

the Supersoul

Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
13.17 And further, tat, that; jneyam, Knowable; though avibhaktam, undivided, remaining the same in all beings like space; iva sthitam, appears to be existing; as vibhaktam, divided; bhutesu, in all beings, because It is perceived as existing in the bodies themselves. And just as a rope etc. are with regard to a snake etc. That are falsely imagined, similarly that Knowable is bhutabhartr, the sustainer of all beings, sinced It sustains all during the period of their existence; grasisnu, the devourer, at the time of dissolution; and prabhavisnu, the originator, at the time of creation. Further, it the Knowable is not perceived though existing everywhere, then It is darkness? Not! What then?
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
13.17 Though the entity called the self is present everywhere in the bodies of divinities, men etc., It is 'undivided' because of Its form being that of the knower. However, to those who are ignorant, It appears divided, by such forms as those of divinities etc. - 'I am a divinity,' 'man' etc. Though the self can be contemplated by way of co-ordinate predication as one with the body in such significations as, 'I am divinity, I am a man,' It can be known as being different from the body, because of Its being a knower. That is why it has already been pointed out at the beginning: 'He who knows It? (13.1). Now Sri Krsna says that It can be known as different also on other grounds - as the 'supporter of elements' etc. Because It supports the earth and other elements combined in the shape of the body, the self can be known as being different from the elements supported. The sense is that It can be known as a separate entity. Likewise, It is that which 'devours', namely, the consumer of physical food etc. Because, It 'devours' the food, It can be known as an entity different from the elements. It causes 'generation' - It is the cause of transformation of consumed food etc., into other forms like blood etc. As eating, generating etc., are not seen in a corpse, it is settled that the body, an aggregate of elements, cannot be the cause of devouring food, generating of species and supporting them.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
13.17 See Comment under 13.18
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
13.17 And undivided, yet It exists as if divided in beings; It is to be known as the supporter of being; It devours and It generates.
Commentary

13.17 अविभक्तम् undivided? च and? भूतेषु in beings? विभक्तम् divided? इव as if? च and? स्थितम् existing? भूतभर्तृ the supporter of beings? च and? तत् That ज्ञेयम् to be known? ग्रसिष्णु devouring? प्रभविष्णु generating? च and.Commentary Brahman must be regarded as That which supports? swallows up and also creates all beings? in the three forms of Brahma who creates the world of names anf forms? Vishnu who preserves or sustains? and Rudra who destroys. It is undivided in the various bodies. It is like ether. It is allpervding like space (Akasa). It is indivisible and the One? but It seems to divide Itself in forms and appears as all the separate existing things and beings. It is essentially unbroken. Yet? It is? as it were? divided among all beings.It devours this world during the cosmic dissolution. It generates it at the time of the origin of the next age. It supports all beings during the period of sustenance of this world.Just as fire is hidden in the wood? so also Brahman is hidden in all bodies. Just as the one space appears to be different through the limiting adjuncts (pot? house? etc.) so also the one indivisible Brahman appears to be different through the limiting adjuncts (the body? etc.). (Cf.XVIII.20)An objector says The knowable Brahman? the Knower of the field? is allpervading. It exists everywhere and yet It is not perceived. Therefore It must be of the nature of darkness or Tamas.The answer is No. It cannot be.What? then It is the Light of Lights.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
13.17 And the Knowable, though undivided, appears to be existing as divided in all beings, and It is the sustainer of all beings as also the devourer and originator.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
13.17 In all beings undivided, yet living in division, It is the upholder of all, Creator and Destroyer alike;
Related values & verses
Related values
Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Maitri (Friendship / Goodwill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 9.18 BG 11.32 BG 15.13 SB 1.3.28 SB 3.5.51 SB 10.14.55 CC Ādi 1.3 CC Madhya 20.165 CC Madhya 21.7 Īśa Upaniṣad 7 Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.12
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Although the Supersoul is undivided, He appears divided in beings — the maintainer of all beings, the devourer, the producer.
Practical Applications
  • Hold the unity beneath apparent multiplicity.
  • See the same Lord behind the variety of beings.
  • Cultivate this single-source vision.
Reflection Questions
  • Where do I miss the single source behind the variety?
  • What practice trains that vision?
Analogy

The moon's light, falling on a city of ten thousand puddles, appears in each puddle complete and distinct. Yet anyone looking up sees one moon, undivided. The Lord stands so in beings: divided in appearance, undivided in fact — and devouring all those puddles back into Himself at the time of dissolution.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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