Text 24
dvija-ṛṣabha sa eṣa brahma-yoniḥ svayaṁ-dṛk
sva-mahima-paripūrṇo māyayā ca svayaitat
sṛjati harati pātīty ākhyayānāvṛtākṣo
vivṛta iva niruktas tat-parair ātma-labhyaḥ
dvija-ṛṣabha — O best of the brāhmaṇas; saḥ eṣaḥ — He alone; brahma-yoniḥ — the source of the Vedas; svayam-dṛk — who is self-illuminating; sva-mahima — in His own glory; paripūrṇaḥ — perfectly complete; māyayā — by the material energy; ca — and; svayā — His own; etat — this universe; sṛjati — He creates; harati — He withdraws; pāti — He maintains; iti ākhyayā — conceived of as such; anāvṛta — uncovered; akṣaḥ — His transcendental awareness; vivṛtaḥ — materially divided; iva — as if; niruktaḥ — described; tat-paraiḥ — by those who are devoted to Him; ātma — as their very Soul; labhyaḥ — realizable.
O best of brāhmaṇas, He alone is the self-luminous, original source of the Vedas, perfect and complete in His own glory. By His material energy He creates, destroys and maintains this entire universe. Because He is the performer of various material functions, He is sometimes described as materially divided, yet He always remains transcendentally situated in pure knowledge. Those who are dedicated to Him in devotion can realize Him to be their true Soul.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura recommends that we become humble by practicing the following meditation: “The earth, which is always visible to me, is the expansion of the lotus feet of my Lord, who is always to be meditated upon. All moving and nonmoving living beings have taken shelter of the earth and are thus sheltered at the lotus feet of my Lord. For this reason I should respect every living being and not envy anyone. In fact, all living entities constitute the Kaustubha gem on My Lord’s chest. Therefore I should never envy or deride any living entity.” By practicing this meditation one can achieve success in life.