Text 4

adhibhutam ksaro bhavah
purushas cadhidaivatam
adhiyajno ’ham evatra
dehe deha-bhrtam vara

Translation

O best of the embodied beings, the physical nature, which is constantly changing, is called adhibhuta [the material manifestation]. The universal form of the Lord, which includes all the demigods, like those of the sun and moon, is called adhidaiva. And I, the Supreme Lord, represented as the Supersoul in the heart of every embodied being, am called adhiyajna [the Lord of sacrifice].

Commentary by Srila Prabhupada

he physical nature is constantly changing. Material bodies generally pass through six stages: they are born, they grow, they remain for some duration, they produce some by-products, they dwindle, and then they vanish. This physical nature is called adhibhuta. It is created at a certain point and will be annihilated at a certain point. The conception of the universal form of the Supreme Lord, which includes all the demigods and their different planets, is called adhidaivata. And present in the body along with the individual soul is the Supersoul, a plenary representation of Lord Krishna. The Supersoul is called the Paramatma or adhiyajna and is situated in the heart. The word eva is particularly important in the context of this verse because by this word the Lord stresses that the Paramatma is not different from Him. The Supersoul, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, seated beside the individual soul, is the witness of the individual soul’s activities and is the source of the soul’s various types of consciousness. The Supersoul gives the individual soul an opportunity to act freely and witnesses his activities. The functions of all these different manifestations of the Supreme Lord automatically become clarified for the pure Krishna conscious devotee engaged in transcendental service to the Lord. The gigantic universal form of the Lord called adhidaivata is contemplated by the neophyte who cannot approach the Supreme Lord in His manifestation as Supersoul. The neophyte is advised to contemplate the universal form, or virat-purusha, whose legs are considered the lower planets, whose eyes are considered the sun and moon, and whose head is considered the upper planetary system.

Commentary by Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur

The word adhibhuta refers to temporary objects (ksara bhavah) such as pots and cloth. The word adhidaiva refers to the person representing the totality of the universe, understood from the derivation of the word adhidaiva as "he within whom all the devatas exist as his subjects". In the body (atra), I, the paramatma, am the adhiyajna, the person who induces others to perform actions like yajna.

But why should the word eva (for emphasis) be used with aham, since the paramatma, antaryami, is only my expansion or amsa? Because this antaryami, though amsa, is not different from me, whereas the other items such as adhyatma (jiva) are different from me. O best person (vara) with a body (dehe), among those having bodies (dehabhrtam), you are the best of all, because you have a direct relationship as friend with me.