Krishna's incarnation as the holy name in this age offers all souls effortless divine association through simple chanting.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.30 — April 22, 1973, Los Angeles 730422SB-LOS ANGELES [49:32 Minutes] SB-01.08.30_730422SB-LOS ANGELES Prabhupāda: [leads singing of Jaya rādhā-mādhava] [04:36] [prema-dhvāṇī prayers] Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. [break] Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.
[leads chanting of verse] [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat] janma karma ca viśvātmann ajasyākartur ātmanaḥ tiryaṭ-nèṣiṣu yādaḥsu tad atyanta-viḍambanam [SB 1.8.30] Prabhupāda: Now ladies. [ladies chant] That's it. Now word meaning. Pradyumna: janma—birth; karma—activity; ca—and; viśva-ātman—O soul of the universe; ajasya—of the unborn; akartuḥ—of the inactive; ātmanaḥ—of the vital energy; tiryak—animal; nṛ—human being; ṛṣiṣu—in the sages; yādaḥsu—in the water; tat—that; atyanta—veritable; viḍambanam—bewildering.
[12:48] Translation: "Of course it is bewildering, O Soul of the Universe, that You work, though You are inactive, that You take birth, though You are the vital force and the unborn. You Yourself descend amongst animals, men, sages and aquatics. Verily this is bewildering." Prabhupāda: So Kṛṣṇa is addressed here as Viśvātman, the vital force of the universe. Just like in my body, in your body, that there is a vital force.
The vital force is the ātmā, the living being, living entity or soul. So because the vital force, the soul, is there, the whole body is working. So similarly, there is the supreme vital force. Supreme vital force is Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore where is the question of His taking birth, appearance and disappearance?
In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, janma karma ca me divyam [Bg. 4.9]. Divyam means it is spiritual. Ajo 'pi sann avyayātmā [Bg. 4.6]. Aja means unborn; avyayātmā, without any destruction.
So Kṛṣṇa is existing as, in the beginning of this stotra, Kuntī addressed Kṛṣṇa that "You are within, You are without—still invisible." Kṛṣṇa is within, without. That we have explained. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati [Bg. 18.61]. Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ [Bg. 15.15]. Kṛṣṇa is situated in everyone's heart.
Therefore He is within everything. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham [Bs. 5.35]. He, He is within the atom even, and without also. Viśvarūpa, as Kṛṣṇa showed, the Viśvarūpa, external feature, this gigantic cosmic manifestation... That is Kṛṣṇa's external body.