Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 36
Yoga-siddhi — The Mystic Perfections and Their Origin in Meditation on the Lord
अहमात्मान्तरो बाह्योऽनावृत: सर्वदेहिनाम् । यथा भूतानि भूतेषु बहिरन्त: स्वयं तथा ॥ ३६ ॥
aham ātmāntaro bāhyo ’nāvṛtaḥ sarva-dehinām yathā bhūtāni bhūteṣu bahir antaḥ svayaṁ tathā
Sebagaimana lima unsur besar wujud di dalam dan di luar semua jasad, demikianlah Aku tidak dapat diselubungi oleh apa pun; Aku hadir di dalam sebagai Paramatma dan di luar sebagai Yang Maha Meliputi.
Lord Kṛṣṇa is the entire basis of meditation for all yogīs and philosophers, and here the Lord clarifies His absolute position. Since the Lord is within everything, one might think that the Lord is divided into pieces. However, the word anāvṛta, or “completely uncovered,” indicates that nothing can interrupt, disturb or in any way infringe upon the supreme existence of the Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead. There is no actual separation between the internal and external existence of the material elements, which continuously exist everywhere. Similarly, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is all-pervading and is the ultimate perfection of everything.
FAQs
This verse states that Kṛṣṇa is the unobscured reality both within all beings as the indwelling Self and also externally as the all-pervading truth, comparable to how the elements exist inside bodies and also outside them.
In the Uddhava-gītā teachings, Kṛṣṇa instructs Uddhava on higher realization—showing that the Lord is not distant but directly present as Paramātmā within and as the pervasive foundation of all existence, strengthening steady devotion and knowledge.
Practice seeing the same divine presence in your own heart and in others—cultivating humility, compassion, and steadiness in bhakti—while remembering that God is never absent, even amid daily stress and change.