yathä hy avahito vahnir

däruñv ekaù sva-yoniñu

näneva bhäti viçvätmä
bhüteñu ca tathä pumän
yathä—as much as; hi—exactly like; avahitaù—surcharged with; vahniù—fire; däruñu—in
wood; ekaù—one; sva-yoniñu—the source of manifestation; nänä iva—like different
entities; bhäti—illuminates; viçva-ätmä—the Lord as Paramätmä; bhüteñu—in the living
entities; ca—and; tathä—in the same way; pumän—the Absolute Person.
TRANSLATION
The Lord, as Supersoul, pervades all things, just as fire permeates wood, and so He appears
to be of many varieties, though He is the absolute one without a second.
PURPORT
Lord Väsudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by one of His plenary parts expands
Himself all over the material world, and His existence can be perceived even within the
atomic energy. Matter, antimatter, proton, neutron—in all these one can perceive the
manifestation of the Paramätmä feature of the Lord by proper
spiritual culture. As from wood, fire can be manifested, or as butter can be churned
out of milk, so also the presence of the Lord as Paramätmä can be felt by the
process of legitimate hearing and chanting of the transcendental
subjects which are especially treated in the Vedic literatures like the Upaniñads and
Vedänta. Çrémad-Bhägavatam is the bona fide explanation of these
Vedic literatures. The Lord can be realized through the aural reception of the
transcendental message, and that is the only way to experience the transcendental
subject. As fire is kindled from wood by another fire, the divine consciousness of man can
similarly be kindled by another divine grace. His Divine Grace the spiritual master can
kindle the spiritual fire from the woodlike living entity by imparting proper spiritual
messages injected through the receptive ear. Therefore one is required to
approach the proper spiritual master with receptive ears only, and thus divine existence is
gradually realized. The difference between animality and humanity lies in this process only.
A human being can hear properly, whereas an animal cannot.

Story:
6 questions by the sages:
Please, therefore, being blessed with many years, explain to us, in an easily understandable
way, 1. what you have ascertained to be the absolute and 2. ultimate good for the people
in general.
There are many varieties of scriptures, and in all of them there are many prescribed duties,
which can be learned only after many years of study in their various divisions. Therefore, O
sage, 3. please select the essence of all these scriptures and explain it for the good of all
living beings, so that by such instruction their hearts may be fully satisfied.
O Süta Gosvämé, we are eager to learn about the Personality of Godhead and His
incarnations. 3. Please explain to us those teachings imparted by previous masters
[äcäryas], for one is uplifted both by speaking them and by hearing them.
His transcendental acts are magnificent and gracious, and great learned sages like Närada
sing of them. 4. Please, therefore, speak to us, who are eager to hear, about the
adventures He performs in His various incarnations.
O wise Süta, 5. please narrate to us the transcendental pastimes of the Supreme
Godhead's multi-incarnations. Such auspicious adventures and pastimes of the Lord, the
supreme controller, are performed by His internal powers.
6. Since Çré Kåñëa, the Absolute Truth, the master of all mystic powers, has departed
for His own abode, please tell us to whom the religious principles have now gone for
shelter.
Suta Goswamis Qualifications:
1. Free from all vice (you are completely free from all vice)
2. You are well versed in all the scriptures (famous for religious life, and in the
Puräëas and the histories as well, for you have gone through them under proper
guidance and have also explained them)
3. And because you are submissive, your spiritual masters have endowed you with all
the favors bestowed upon a gentle disciple.
Suta begins Recites Srimad Bhagavatam
respectful obeisances unto him [Çuka]
one should offer respectful obeisances unto the Personality of Godhead, Näräyaëa, unto
Nara-näräyaëa Åñi, the supermost human being, unto Mother Sarasvaté, the goddess of
learning, and unto Çréla Vyäsadeva, the author.
Your questions are worthy because they relate to Lord Kåñëa and so are of relevance to
the world's welfare. Only questions of this sort are capable of completely satisfying the
self.

Answers to what did you ascertain to be absolute Truth

sa vai puàsäà paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhokñaje
ahaituky apratihatä
yayätmä suprasédati
The occupational activities a man performs according to his own position are only so
much useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Personality of
Godhead.
All occupational engagements are certainly meant for ultimate liberation. They should
never be performed for material gain. Furthermore, according to sages, one who is
engaged in the ultimate occupational service should never use material gain to cultivate
sense gratification.
Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance
Brahman, Paramätmä or Bhagavän.
The seriously inquisitive student or sage well equipped with knowledge and detachment
realizes that Absolute Truth by rendering devotional service in terms of what he has heard
from the Vedänta-çruti.
O twice-born sages, by serving those devotees who are completely freed from all vice,
great service is done. By such service, one gains affinity for hearing the messages of
Väsudeva.
Çré Kåñëa, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramätmä [Supersoul] in everyone's
heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment
from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are
in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.
By regular attendance in classes on the Bhägavatam and by rendering of service to the
pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and
loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, who is praised with transcendental songs,
is established as an irrevocable fact.
Hearing:
In the material world, we manufacture many things for our material comfort simply by
hearing. They are already there, but just by hearing, one can transform them. If we want
to build a very high skyscraper, this does not mean that we have to create it. The materials
for the skyscraper—wood, metal, earth, etc.—are already there, but we make our intimate
relationship with those already created material elements by hearing how to utilize them.
Modern economic advancement for creation is also a product of hearing, and similarly
one can create a favorable field of spiritual activities by hearing from the right source.
Arjuna was a gross materialist in the bodily conception of life and was suffering from the
bodily concept very acutely. But simply by hearing, Arjuna became a spiritualized, Kåñëa
conscious person. Hearing is very important, and that hearing is produced from the sky.
By hearing only can we make proper use of that which already exists. The principle of
hearing to properly utilize preconceived materials is applicable to spiritual paraphernalia
as well. We must hear from the proper spiritual source.