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The Indweller who Enlivens Our Body, Mind and Intelligence

योऽन्तःप्रविश्य मम वाचमिमां प्रसुप्तां
सञ्‌जीवयत्यखिलशक्तिधरः स्वधाम्ना ।
अन्यांश्च हस्तचरणश्रवणत्वगादीन्
प्राणान् नमो भगवते पुरुषाय तुभ्यम् ।।
– श्रीमद् भागवतम् ४.९.६

yo’ntaḥ-praviśya mama vācam-imāṃ prasuptāṃ
sañjīvayaty-akhila-śakti-dharaḥ svadhāmnā |
anyāṃśca hasta-caraṇa-śravaṇa-tvagādīn
prāṇān namo bhagavate puruṣāya tubhyam ||
– Śrīmad bhāgavatam 4.9.6

Translation:

Prostration to You, O Bhagavān, the supreme Being (Puruṣa), possessor of all powers, who, having entered my within, have activated my dormant speech, and likewise have empowered the other organs such as the hands, feet, ears, skin and vital forces, by virtue of Your mere Presence.

Points for Introspection:

Throughout our wakeful hours we sit, walk, eat, talk, hear and do many other activities using our sense organs and organs of actions. We feel we are the ‘doer’ of all actions and take credit if we have performed well. We accumulate pride that we are the “controller” of all actions. We never think of the supreme Universal Power that has created this body, like it has everything else in this creation. This supreme Power or the supreme Lord has entered our being and enlivened the limbs, the sense organs and the life-forces. Without this power the body would become a corpse. It is by His will that we sleep and get up, and are able to do all our functions throughout the day.

This shloka is from Dhruva’s story in Sreemad Bhaagavatam. Dhruva, the five year old boy contemplated on Lord Viṣṇu, by performing severe austerities. When Lord Viṣṇu manifested before Dhruva, Dhruva was overwhelmed with ecstasy and devotion. His lips and cheeks started quivering looking for words to sing praises for the Lord. But he was unable to speak.

The Lord, understanding Dhruva’s discomfiture, tapped his cheeks with His divine conch. Dhruva was illumined. Verses and hymns started flowing from his tender mouth. This shloka is the first of these stutis (praises). “I prostrate at your feet,” Dhruva said, “O Supreme all-powerful Lord! You, upon entering my heart, have enlivened my dormant speech and enabled me to sing these hymns to you; not only that, you have enlivened my limbs, my sense organs as well as the life forces.”

While reading this episode it should strike us how this little boy acknowledged in deep devotion, the presence of the Universal, all-powerful Lord in his heart, by whose grace he got enlightened. Not only his dormant speech was enlivened, enabling him to sing praises for the Lord, but also his sense organs and life forces became vibrant by the Divine Presence.

Should we not remember this Indweller for making us live in this world, activating our life-forces and the organs? Should not our heart be filled with devotion and gratitude for this Inmost, supremely powerful Lord?

Unfortunately, we do not remember the presence of the supreme Being within us. We remain oblivious of the grace He showers on us enabling us to move and act. Since we do not remember His presence in us, we become proud and egoistic, thinking: “I am the doer”, “I am the enjoyer”, and “everything depends upon me”. As a result we miss the touch of divinity, which is ever-present in us.

This shloka tells us how we should be grateful to the Universal Lord, who, being present in our heart enlivens our entire being – the body, mind and the intelligence; how, remembering this great Truth, we should prostrate at His holy feet in reverence and gratitude.

While moving about in this world performing various activities, we should chant this shloka frequently, reminding ourselves that we are nothing but instruments in His hands. Because He enlivens our beings we are active in this world. By chanting the verse the mind gets filled with love, devotion, and gratitude toward the supreme Lord. The constant remembrance of His Presence in our heart makes our mind merge in Him. As a result every moment of our life gets filled with divinity.

Word Meaning:

यः (yaḥ) = who; अन्तः (antaḥ) = within; प्रविश्य (praviśya) = having entered; मम (mama) = my; वाचम् (vācam) = speech; इमाम् (imām) = this; प्रसुप्ताम् (prasuptām) = dormant; संजीवयति (sañjīvayati) = enlivens; अखिलशक्तिधरः (akhila-śaktidharaḥ) = possessor of all divine powers; स्वधाम्ना (svadhāmnā) = by the Presence within; अन्याम् च (anyām ca) = and others; हस्तचरणश्रवणत्वगादीन् (hasta-caraṇa-śravaṇa-tvagādīn) = hands, feet, ears, skin and other sense organs; प्राणान् (prāṇān) = life forces; नमः (namaḥ) = prostrations; भगवते (bhagavate) = O Lord; पुरुषाय (puruṣāya) = to the Supreme Being; तुभ्यम् (tubhyam) = to you;

अन्वयः

यः अखिलशक्तिधरः अन्तः प्रविश्य मम इमां प्रसुप्तां वाचं सञ्जीवयति, स्वधाम्ना अन्यां हस्तचरणश्रवणत्वगादीन् प्राणान् च (सञ्जीवयति), भगवते पुरुषाय तुभ्यं नमः ।
yaḥ akhila-śaktidharaḥ antaḥ praviśya mama imām prasuptāṃ vācaṃ sañjīvayati, svadhāmnā anyāṃ hasta-caraṇa-śravaṇa-tvagādīn prāṇān ca (sañjīvayati), bhagavate puruṣāya tubhyaṃ namaḥ.