Meaning
Supreme God Krishna spoke
Behold my mystical magnificence: the cosmic existences do not abide within Me, and neither does my Self reside within them, despite my pervasive presence among them all. Nevertheless, I stand as their sole Creator and Sustainer.(9:5)
Sanskrit
श्रीभगवान् उवाच
न च मत्स्थानि भूतानि पश्य मे योगमैश्वरम् ।
भूतभृन्न च भूतस्थो ममात्मा भूतभावनः॥
Word-by-word
न च मत्-स्थानि भूतानि, पश्य मे योगम्-ऐश्वरम्,
भूत-भृत् न च भूत-स्थः मम आत्मा, भूत-भावनः।
Commentary
Recall the Lord’s statement that He dwells in the hearts of all living beings as their soul (10:20; 13:17; 15:15; 18:61)? There may appear to be a conflict between those verses and the current one. However, this contradiction is apparent, not real. He states that the world is not within Him, nor is His Self within the world. In what sense is He present in the world, and in what sense is He not? In what sense is the world within Him, and in what sense is it not?
The Lord frequently presents such enigmatic scenarios to encourage readers to delve deeper into the magnificence and mystery of the Almighty Lord and to continuously reflect on solving this puzzle. This purpose is indeed fulfilled! At the outset of this chapter (9:2), the Lord Himself declared that what He was about to reveal was a profound mystery!
The puzzle can be largely unraveled by comprehending the situation in the context of the relationship between the dream and the dreamer. In one sense, the dreamer exists within the dream, and the dream exists within the dreamer. However, in another sense, neither the dream is “within” the dreamer nor the dreamer is “within” the dream.
The Lord has affirmed that He pervades the entire cosmos. Yet, there is a distinction between His “pervading” and His Self “dwelling” within the cosmos. It is essential to consider both the poetic and scientific connotations of these words.