Shloka 34
Nārada’s Questions and Brahmā’s Reply: Vāsudeva as the Source; Sarga–Visarga; Virāṭ-rūpa Mapping
वर्षपूगसहस्रान्ते तदण्डमुदकेशयम् । कालकर्मस्वभावस्थो जीवोऽजीवमजीवयत् ॥ ३४ ॥
varṣa-pūga-sahasrānte tad aṇḍam udake śayam kāla-karma-svabhāva-stho jīvo ’jīvam ajīvayat
So blieben alle Universen tausende Yuga-Gruppen lang in den Wassern (dem Kausalozean); dann trat der Herr der Lebewesen, der als Zeit, Karma und Natur waltet, in jedes ein und belebte es vollständig.
The Lord is described here as the jīva because He is the leader of all other jīvas (living entities). In the Vedas He is described as the nitya, the leader of all other nityas. The Lord’s relation with the living entities is like that of the father with the sons. The sons and the father are qualitatively equal, but the father is never the son, nor is the son ever the father who begets. So, as described above, the Lord as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu or Hiraṇyagarbha Supersoul enters into each and every universe and causes it to be animated by begetting the living entities within the womb of the material nature, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (14.3) . After each annihilation of the material creation, all the living entities are merged within the body of the Lord, and after creation they are again impregnated within the material energy. In material existence, therefore, the material energy is seemingly the mother of the living entities, and the Lord is the father. When, however, the animation takes place, the living entities revive their own natural activities under the spell of time and energy, and thus the varieties of living beings are manifested. The Lord, therefore, is ultimately the cause of all animation in the material world.
FAQs
This verse describes the universe in seed form as a “cosmic egg” resting on the primordial waters, which later becomes active when the inert elements are enlivened under the influence of time, karma, and inherent nature.
The verse highlights that within the manifested universe, the activation of matter proceeds under governing forces—time, the momentum of karma, and inherent conditioning—showing an ordered, law-like unfolding rather than randomness.
It encourages responsibility and patience: actions have consequences (karma), conditions shape tendencies (svabhāva), and results unfold in time (kāla)—so spiritual practice focuses on right action and devotion rather than anxiety over immediate outcomes.