Text 26
so ’haṁ viśva-sṛjaṁ viśvam
aviśvaṁ viśva-vedasam
viśvātmānam ajaṁ brahma
praṇato ’smi paraṁ padam
saḥ — that; aham — I (the person desiring release from material life); viśva-sṛjam — unto Him who has created this cosmic manifestation; viśvam — who is Himself the whole cosmic presentation; aviśvam — although He is transcendental to the cosmic manifestation; viśva-vedasam — who is the knower or ingredient of this universal manifestation; viśva-ātmānam — the soul of the universe; ajam — who is never born, eternally existing; brahma — the Supreme; praṇataḥ asmi — I offer my respectful obeisances; param — who is transcendental; padam — the shelter.
Now, fully desiring release from material life, I offer my respectful obeisances unto that Supreme Person who is the creator of the universe, who is Himself the form of the universe and who is nonetheless transcendental to this cosmic manifestation. He is the supreme knower of everything in this world, the Supersoul of the universe. He is the unborn, supremely situated Lord. I offer my respectful obeisances unto Him.
Sometimes when bhakti-yoga, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is preached to the common man, people argue, “Where is Kṛṣṇa? Where is God? Can you show Him to us?” In this verse the answer is given that if we are sufficiently intelligent, we must know that there is someone who has created the entire cosmic manifestation, who has supplied and has become the ingredients for this cosmic manifestation, who is eternally existing, but who is not within the cosmic manifestation. Simply on the basis of this suggestion, one can offer respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Lord. This is the beginning of devotional life.