सर्वतः पाणिपादं तत्सर्वतोऽक्षिशिरोमुखम् | सर्वतः श्रुतिमल्लोके सर्वमावृत्य तिष्ठति ||१३-१४||
sarvataḥ pāṇipādaṃ tatsarvato.akṣiśiromukham . sarvataḥ śrutimalloke sarvamāvṛtya tiṣṭhati ||13-14||
Chapter 13 · Verse 14
Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga
क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञविभागयोग
In plain words
He (the knower of the field or Para Brahman) pervades everything in this world. He fills and surrounds this world with Himself. He abides in the universe enveloping everything.
Translation
13.14 Everywhere are Its hands and feet; Its eyes, heads and mouths are everywhere; Its ears are on all sides; and It exists encompassing all things.
Meaning
He (the knower of the field or Para Brahman) pervades everything in this world. He fills and surrounds this world with Himself. He abides in the universe enveloping everything. In the previous verse it is said that the Brahman Which is to be known is neither being nor nonbeing. One may think that It is nonentity or void or nothing. In order to remove this misapprehension the Lord says in this verse that the knowable has hands and feet everywhere etc. It directs the mind and the senses to do their proper functions. This is only the manifest aspect of Saguna Brahman (Brahman with attributes). Just as the enginedriver drives the engine so also the knowable or the knower of the field drieves the bodyengine. It is the Inner Ruler. It is the innermost Self. It is the support substratum or basis for this world body mind lifeforce and the senses. The existence of Brahman is determined or ascertained or indicated by the existence of the limiting adjuncts viz. body mind and senses because there must be selfconsciousness behind their activities. How can you call It nonexistence thenJust as the rope is not affected by the alities or the defects of the illusory superimposed snake so also Para Brahman (the knower of the field) is not affected by the superimposed world body senses mind and the lifeforce. There is only one common consciousness is eternal selfluminous and allpervading. That common consciousness is Para Brahman. The body mind senses and the lifeforce are by nature insentient. But they are moved by Brahman to action. They act on account of the mere presence of Brahman or the knower of the field. (The limiting adjuncts are illusory.) Hence they put on the semblance of consciousness just as the iron piece puts on the semblance of a magnet when it is in the presence of a magnet. The whole world is superimposed on Brahman like the snake on the rope. This is called Adhyaropa. It is sublated by the method (Yukti) of Apavada (negation or denial). This verse is taken from the Svetasvataropanishad 3.16.
Word by word
सर्वतः everywhere पाणिपादम् with hands and feet तत् that सर्वतः everywhere अक्षिशिरोमुखम् with eyes heads and mouths सर्वतः everywhere श्रुतिमत् with ears लोके in the world सर्वम् all आवृत्य having enveloped तिष्ठति exists.