sarvataḥ pāṇi-pādaṁ tat sarvato ’kṣhi-śhiro-mukham
sarvataḥ śhrutimal loke sarvam āvṛitya tiṣhṭhati
sarvataḥ — everywhere;
pāṇi — hands;
pādam — feet;
tat — that;
sarvataḥ — everywhere;
akṣhi — eyes;
śhiraḥ — heads;
mukham — faces;
sarvataḥ — everywhere;
śhruti-mat — having ears;
loke — in the universe;
sarvam — everything;
āvṛitya — pervades;
tiṣhṭhati — exists
This verse talks about how the Supersoul, or God's presence, is everywhere. Imagine how the sun shines everywhere, giving light to everything below it. In a similar way, the Supersoul is present in everything and everyone. It's not just one big being sitting somewhere; it's as if the Supersoul stretches out into everything, just like the sun's rays touch everything around.
When we think of God's presence, it can feel very vast and hard to grasp. But this verse helps us visualize it. It tells us that God is like the one who has many hands, feet, eyes, and faces everywhere. This means that He is aware of everything going on around us—seeing, hearing, feeling, and knowing all that happens in the world.
Now, consider that within this all-encompassing nature, there are individual living beings—like humans, animals, and even tiny ants. All these beings can be thought of as little parts or expressions of the Supersoul. They exist inside and around the Supersoul, similar to how plants grow in the sunlight; they depend on this Supreme Being for their existence.
However, there's an important distinction here: while the Supersoul can be everywhere at once, individual souls (like you and me) cannot. Unlike the Supersoul, which can extend itself infinitely around the universe, our own consciousness is limited. We can't be in several places at once; we can't see everything or hear everything at the same time. This helps us understand that God's nature is truly supreme and different from ours.
The verse also implies that if an individual soul mistakenly thinks it can become like the Supersoul—being everywhere and knowing everything—it is misunderstanding its own nature. The individual soul has limits because it is influenced by the physical world and cannot claim the same all-knowing and all-present attributes as the Supersoul.
For example, if someone thinks they can reach a state of being all-powerful just by gaining more knowledge, that idea is wrong. True knowledge helps us understand that we have our unique qualities but are not identical to the Supreme Being.
A very relatable point is when we think about offering something to God, like a flower or water. Even if we think God is far away in another realm, the verse emphasizes that He can still accept those offerings because He is present everywhere. That's a reflection not just of physical distance but of His divine nature.
In essence, this verse is reminding us about the difference in capability and presence between us as individual souls and the Supersoul. While we have our abilities and limitations, the Supersoul transcends all that, being present everywhere, aware of everything, and able to reach everywhere—just like the sun that shines on us all, no matter where we are.