SB 11.15.36 — FolioCorpus

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.15.36

अहमात्मान्तरो बाह्योऽनावृत: सर्वदेहिनाम् । यथा भूतानि भूतेषु बहिरन्त: स्वयं तथा ॥ ३६ ॥

aham ātmāntaro bāhyo

[aham aatmaantaro baahyo]

’nāvṛtaḥ sarva-dehinām

[’naavritah sarva-dehinaam]

yathā bhūtāni bhūteṣu

[yathaa bhootaani bhooteshu]

bahir antaḥ svayaṁ tathā

[bahir antah svayam tathaa]

Word-for-word

aham — I ātmā — the Supreme Lord āntaraḥ — existing within as the Supersoul bāhyaḥ — existing externally in My all-pervading feature anāvṛtaḥ — uncovered sarva-dehinām — of all living entities yathā — just as bhūtāni — the material elements bhūteṣu — among living entities bahiḥ — externally antaḥ — internally svayam — Myself tathā — in the same way.

Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)

aham ātmāntaro bāhyo

aham

ātmā

the Supreme Lord

āntaraḥ

existing within as the Supersoul

bāhyaḥ

existing externally in My all-pervading feature

’nāvṛtaḥ sarva-dehinām

yathā bhūtāni bhūteṣu

anāvṛtaḥ

uncovered

sarva-dehinām

of all living entities

bahir antaḥ svayaṁ tathā

yathā

just as

bhūtāni

the material elements

bhūteṣu

among living entities

bahiḥ

externally

antaḥ

internally

svayam

Myself

tathā

in the same way.

Just as the same material elements exist within and outside of all material bodies, similarly, I cannot be covered by anything else. I exist within everything as the Supersoul and outside of everything in My all-pervading feature.

Purport

Lord Kṛṣṇa is the entire basis of meditation for all yogīs and philosophers, and here the Lord clarifies His absolute position. Since the Lord is within everything, one might think that the Lord is divided into pieces. However, the word anāvṛta, or “completely uncovered,” indicates that nothing can interrupt, disturb or in any way infringe upon the supreme existence of the Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead. There is no actual separation between the internal and external existence of the material elements, which continuously exist everywhere. Similarly, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is all-pervading and is the ultimate perfection of everything.

Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Eleventh Canto, Fifteenth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Description of Mystic Yoga Perfections.”

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda

Gauḍīya Ācāryas

Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya

Translation

Just as the same material elements exist inside and outside of all material bodies, similarly, I, who cannot be enclosed by anything else, exist within everything as the antaryāmī and also pervade everywhere outside. I am the object of meditation for the yogīs and jñānīs. I am the antaryāmī. “If you are within everything are you divided up into pieces?” No, I am also spread everywhere outside, because I cannot be enclosed. An example is given. Just as the five gross elements exist inside and outside of the four types of living entities, I exist inside and outside of every being. Thus ends the commentary on Fifteenth Chapter of the Eleventh Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas. Chapter Sixteen Vibhūtis of the Lord

Personal Guidance

As the same elements exist inside and outside all bodies, the Lord cannot be covered — He is within everything as Supersoul and outside as all-pervading. There is no place He is not.

Reflection Questions

Where do I treat the Lord as absent because the situation feels mundane or wrong?
What might shift if I trusted His presence there too?

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io