FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 8.12.4

श्रीमहादेव उवाच देवदेव जगद्वय‍ापिञ्जगदीश जगन्मय । सर्वेषामपि भावानां त्वमात्मा हेतुरीश्वर: ॥ ४ ॥
śrī-mahādeva uvāca
[shree-mahaadeva uvaacha]
deva-deva jagad-vyāpiṣ
[deva-deva jagad-vyaapish]
jagad-īśa jagan-maya
[jagad-eesha jagan-maya]
sarveṣām api bhāvānāṁ
[sarveshaam api bhaavaanaam]
tvam ātmā hetur īśvaraḥ
[tvam aatmaa hetur eeshvarah]
Word-for-word
śrī-mahādevaḥ uvāca — Lord Śiva (Mahādeva) said deva-deva — O best demigod among the demigods jagat-vyāpin — O all-pervading Lord jagat-īśa — O master of the universe jagat-maya — O my Lord, who are transformed by Your energy into this creation sarveṣām api — all kinds of bhāvānām — situations tvam — You ātmā — the moving force hetuḥ — because of this īśvaraḥ — the Supreme Lord, Parameśvara.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śrī-mahādeva uvāca
śrī-mahādevaḥ uvāca
Lord Śiva (Mahādeva) said
deva-deva
O best demigod among the demigods
deva-deva jagad-vyāpiṣ
jagat-vyāpin
O all-pervading Lord
jagad-īśa jagan-maya
jagat-īśa
O master of the universe
jagat-maya
O my Lord, who are transformed by Your energy into this creation
sarveṣām api bhāvānāṁ
sarveṣām api
all kinds of
bhāvānām
situations
tvam ātmā hetur īśvaraḥ
tvam
You
ātmā
the moving force
hetuḥ
because of this
īśvaraḥ
the Supreme Lord, Parameśvara.
Lord Mahādeva said: O chief demigod among the demigods, O all-pervading Lord, master of the universe, by Your energy You are transformed into the creation. You are the root and efficient cause of everything. You are not material. Indeed, You are the Supersoul or supreme living force of everything. Therefore, You are Parameśvara, the supreme controller of all controllers.
Purport

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, resides within the material world as the sattva-guṇa-avatāra. Lord Śiva is the tamo-guṇa-avatāra, and Lord Brahmā is the rajo-guṇa-avatāra, but although Lord Viṣṇu is among them, He is not in the same category. Lord Viṣṇu is deva-deva, the chief of all the demigods. Since Lord Śiva is in this material world, the energy of the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu, includes Lord Śiva. Lord Viṣṇu is therefore called jagad-vyāpī, “the all-pervading Lord.” Lord Śiva is sometimes called Maheśvara, and so people think that Lord Śiva is everything. But here Lord Śiva addresses Lord Viṣṇu as Jagadīśa, “the master of the universe.” Lord Śiva is sometimes called Viśveśvara, but here he addresses Lord Viṣṇu as Jaganmaya, indicating that even Viśveśvara is under Lord Viṣṇu’s control. Lord Viṣṇu is the master of the spiritual world, yet He controls the material world also, as stated in Bhagavad-gītā ( mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sacarācaram ). Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva are also sometimes called īśvara, but the supreme īśvara is Lord Viṣṇu, Lord Kṛṣṇa. As stated in Brahma-saṁhitā, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ: the Supreme Lord is Kṛṣṇa, Lord Viṣṇu. Everything in existence works in proper order because of Lord Viṣṇu. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham. Even paramāṇu, the small atoms, work because of Lord Viṣṇu’s presence within them.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Śiva said: O Lord who performs pastimes among the devatās! O all-pervading Lord! O Lord of the universe! O Lord who is the universe! You are the giver of consciousness to all things in the universe and the cause of all things. Thus you alone are the Supreme Lord. O Lord who performs pastimes among the devatās (deva-deva). “But Śiva, you also perform pastimes among the devatās.” O pervader of the universe! Though I also exist within the universe, you are spread everywhere. “You should control the universe along with me.” O Lord of the universe! “But you are also called the lord of the universe by people.” O Lord who personifies the universe! Though I am purely spiritual, I am also intimately mixed with the universe, and thus influenced by that. I am not the controller. You are the controller. I am called the lord by Brahmā and others secondarily. “You say that I am the primary form. That form is well known as the universe itself, made of the matter of the universe.” You are the producer of consciousness in all things and the cause of all things. Thus you are called the Supreme Lord.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Śiva addresses Viṣṇu as Parameśvara, all-pervading, Supersoul, supreme controller of all controllers. Even controllers acknowledge a Controller above them. Spiritual hierarchy is real; the wise honor whoever stands above their own position.
Reflection Questions
  • Whom do I treat as the ceiling of authority when there is actually a higher one I should be acknowledging?
  • Where does my ego resist the existence of any 'controller of controllers'?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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