Srimad Bhagavatam — Tritiya Skandha, Shloka 42
Kāla-vibhāga: The Divisions of Time from Atom to Brahmā, and the Lord Beyond Time
तदाहुरक्षरं ब्रह्म सर्वकारणकारणम् । विष्णोर्धाम परं साक्षात्पुरुषस्य महात्मन: ॥ ४२ ॥
tad āhur akṣaraṁ brahma sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam viṣṇor dhāma paraṁ sākṣāt puruṣasya mahātmanaḥ
അതുകൊണ്ട് പരമപുരുഷോത്തമനായ ശ്രീകൃഷ്ണൻ സർവ്വ കാരണങ്ങളുടെയും മൂലകാരണമെന്നു പ്രസിദ്ധൻ. അതിനാൽ വിഷ്ണുവിന്റെ പരമധാമം സംശയമില്ലാതെ നിത്യമാണ്; അതേ ധാമം തന്നെയാണ് എല്ലാ പ്രകടനങ്ങളുടെയും ആദിയായ മഹാവിഷ്ണുവിന്റെയും വാസസ്ഥാനം.
Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu, who is resting in yoga-nidrā on the Causal Ocean and creating innumerable universes by His breathing process, only temporarily appears in the mahat-tattva for the temporary manifestation of the material worlds. He is a plenary portion of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and thus although He is nondifferent from Lord Kṛṣṇa, His formal appearance in the material world as an incarnation is temporary. The original form of the Personality of Godhead is actually the svarūpa, or real form, and He eternally resides in the Vaikuṇṭha world (Viṣṇuloka). The word mahātmanaḥ is used here to indicate Mahā-Viṣṇu, and His real manifestation is Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is called parama, as confirmed in the Brahma-saṁhitā:
FAQs
This verse states that the imperishable Brahman is understood as the cause of all causes and is identified with the supreme abode of Lord Viṣṇu—the direct transcendental realm of the Supreme Person.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī speaks this as part of his teachings to King Parīkṣit while explaining cosmic principles, including time and the Absolute Reality.
By remembering that the ultimate shelter is Viṣṇu’s supreme abode and the Supreme Person Himself, one can prioritize bhakti, detach from temporary anxieties, and align daily choices with spiritual goals like liberation and devotion.