Text 30

The relationship between Śrī Kṛṣṇa on one side, and the living entity and the material world on the other, is one of inconceivable difference and non-difference, acintya-bhedābheda. Nevertheless, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is separately situated in His eternal svarūpa.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.9.35) states:

यथा महान्ति भूतानि भूतेषूच्चावचेष्व् अनु
प्रविष्टान्य् अप्रविष्टानि तथा तेषु न तेष्व् अहम्

yathā mahānti bhūtāni bhūteṣūccāvaceṣv anu
praviṣṭāny apraviṣṭāni tathā teṣu na teṣv aham

The five great elements of material creation enter the bodies of all living entities, high and low, from the demigods to the sub-human species. But at the same time, these elements exist independently. Similarly, I have entered into all living entities as the Supersoul, but at the same time I am situated independently in My own svarūpa, and I appear to My surrendered devotees both internally and externally.

महाभूत उच्चावच-भूते अवस्थित
हैया ओ पूर्ण-रूपे महाभूते स्थित

mahābhūta uccāvaca-bhūte avasthita
haiyā o pūrṇa-rūpe mahābhūte sthita

सेइ रूप चिद्-अंश जीवे कृष्णांश व्यापित
हैया ओ पूर्ण कृष्ण स्वरूपावस्थित

sei rūpa cid-aṃśa jīve kṛṣṇāṃśa vyāpita
haiyā o pūrṇa kṛṣṇa svarūpāvasthita

Commentary: Bhajana-rahasya-vṛtti:

After describing His own svarūpa, Śrī Bhagavān says, “I am situated inside and outside every living entity.” Bhagavān dwells in every living entity as the Supersoul, but not all living entities are able to perceive Him. Only His devotees can realise Him. Not only that, Śrī Bhagavān is present everywhere, in all places, and the devotees can also realise this. According to the gradation of their bhakti, devotees relish the existence of Śrī Bhagavān and the nectar of His sweetness and beauty. The affection of the devotees for Śrī Bhagavān is called prema, and this is prayojana-tattva, the ultimate objective. The premī-bhakta sees Śrī Kṛṣṇa everywhere, both within his heart and outside.

This is the intrinsic characteristic (svarūpa-lakṣaṇa) of prema, as described by Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself:

भक्त आमा बान्धियाछे हृदय-कमले
याहाङ् नेत्र पडे ताहाङ् देखये आमारे

bhakta āmā bāndhiyāche hṛdaya-kamale
yāhāṅ netra paḍe tāhāṅ dekhaye āmāre

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 25.127)

The devotees keep Me bound in their hearts with the ropes of love. And wherever they look, they see only Me.

Śrī Bhagavān resides affectionately in the hearts of the devotees, considering them His own;and He resides in the hearts of the other living entities in a detached way. Śrī Bhagavān is supremely independent, yet His quality of being controlled is that He resides in the hearts of devotees with a sense of possessiveness (mamatā) for them. The essence of spiritual knowledge is prema-bhakti, and the wonderful, confidential secret of prema-bhakti is that the Supreme Lord becomes controlled by His loving devotees, who make Him their prisoner.