FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 8.1.9

मनुरुवाच येन चेतयते विश्वं विश्वं चेतयते न यम् । यो जागर्ति शयानेऽस्मिन्नायं तं वेद वेद स: ॥ ९ ॥
śrī-manur uvāca
[shree-manur uvaacha]
yena cetayate viśvaṁ
[yena chetayate vishvam]
viśvaṁ cetayate na yam
[vishvam chetayate na yam]
yo jāgarti śayāne ’smin
[yo jaagarti shayaane ’smin]
nāyaṁ taṁ veda veda saḥ
[naayam tam veda veda sah]
śrī-manuḥ uvāca — Svāyambhuva Manu chanted yena — by whom (the Personality of Godhead) cetayate — is brought into animation viśvam — the whole universe viśvam — the whole universe (the material world) cetayate — animates na — not yam — He whom yaḥ — He who jāgarti — is always awake (watching all activities) śayāne — while sleeping asmin — in this body na — not ayam — this living entity tam — Him veda — knows veda — knows saḥ — He.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śrī-manur uvāca
śrī-manuḥ uvāca
Svāyambhuva Manu chanted
yena cetayate viśvaṁ
yena
by whom (the Personality of Godhead)
cetayate
is brought into animation
viśvam
the whole universe
viśvaṁ cetayate na yam
viśvam
the whole universe (the material world)
cetayate
animates
na
not
yam
He whom
yo jāgarti śayāne ’smin
yaḥ
He who
jāgarti
is always awake (watching all activities)
nāyaṁ taṁ veda veda saḥ
śayāne
while sleeping
asmin
in this body
na
not
ayam
this living entity
tam
Him
veda
knows
veda
knows
saḥ
He.
Lord Manu said: The supreme living being has created this material world of animation; it is not that He was created by this material world. When everything is silent, the Supreme Being stays awake as a witness. The living entity does not know Him, but He knows everything.

Here is a distinction between the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the living entities. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām ( Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). According to the Vedic version, the Lord is the supreme eternal, the supreme living being. The difference between the Supreme Being and the ordinary living being is that when this material world is annihilated, all the living entities remain silent in oblivion, in a dreaming or unconscious condition, whereas the Supreme Being stays awake as the witness of everything. This material world is created, it stays for some time, and then it is annihilated. Throughout these changes, however, the Supreme Being remains awake. In the material condition of all living entities, there are three stages of dreaming. When the material world is awake and put in working order, this is a kind of dream, a waking dream. When the living entities go to sleep, they dream again. And when unconscious at the time of annihilation, when this material world is unmanifested, they enter another stage of dreaming. At any stage in the material world, therefore, they are all dreaming. In the spiritual world, however, everything is awake.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Manu said: The Lord brings the universe to life. The universe does not bring the Lord to life. While the universe sleeps, the Lord is awake. The universe does not know him, but he knows everything. Yena here means yaḥ (he who brings the universe to life.) The people in the universe do not know he who brings the universe to life and whom the universe does not bring to life, who is awake while the universe is sleeping in deep sleep, or in pralaya, and who sleeps in yoga-nidrā, while the universe is not awake (this phrase should be added). The Lord knows the universe.
When everything else sleeps in oblivion, the Supreme stays awake as witness. The Lord knows us even when we do not know ourselves. Realizing this single fact reorients life: I am never unobserved, never alone, never forgotten.
Reflection Questions
  • How would my private choices change if I lived in the felt sense of being constantly seen?
  • What part of myself do I forget that the Lord still remembers?
📝 My note

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