SB 8.6.10 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

त्वय्यग्र आसीत् त्वयि मध्य आसीत् त्वय्यन्त आसीदिदमात्मतन्त्रे । त्वमादिरन्तो जगतोऽस्य मध्यं घटस्य मृत्स्‍नेव पर: परस्मात् ॥ १० ॥

Verse text

tvayy agra āsīt tvayi madhya āsīt tvayy anta āsīd idam ātma-tantre tvam ādir anto jagato ’sya madhyaṁ ghaṭasya mṛtsneva paraḥ parasmāt

Synonyms

tvayi — unto You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead ; agre — in the beginning ; āsīt — there was ; tvayi — unto You ; madhye — in the middle ; āsīt — there was ; tvayi — unto You ; ante — in the end ; āsīt — there was ; idam — all of this cosmic manifestation ; ātma — tantre — fully under Your control ; tvam — Your Lordship ; ādiḥ — beginning ; antaḥ — end ; jagataḥ — of the cosmic manifestation ; asya — of this ; madhyam — middle ; ghaṭasya — of an earthen pot ; mṛtsnā iva — like the earth ; paraḥ — transcendental ; parasmāt — because of being the chief .

Translation

My dear Lord, who are always fully independent, this entire cosmic manifestation arises from You, rests upon You and ends in You. Your Lordship is the beginning, sustenance and end of everything, like the earth, which is the cause of an earthen pot, which supports the pot, and to which the pot, when broken, finally returns.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

This universe arises from you, rests upon you and ends in you who are fully independent. You are the beginning, sustenance and end of everything, like the earth, which is the cause of an earthen pot, which supports the pot, and into which the pot, when broken, finally returns. But you are different from prakṛti. Brahmā explains how the Lord is the form of the universe. Just as the earth of the pot remains in the beginning, middle and end, you remain in the beginning, middle and end. But the transform of earth into a pot in the example is rejected. You are different from prakṛti (parasmāt). Prakṛti or pradhāna transforms into the universe whereas you do not.