अविभक्तं च भूतेषु विभक्तमिव च स्थितम्
भूतभर्तृ च तज्ज्ञेयं ग्रसिष्णु प्रभविष्णु च
avibhaktaṃ ca bhūteṣu vibhaktamiva ca sthitam
bhūtabhartṛ ca tajjñeyaṃ grasiṣṇu prabhaviṣṇu ca
TRANSLATION
Undivided and yet remaining as if divided among beings, this self is to be known as the supporter of elements. It devours them and causes generation.
PURPORT
Though the entity called the self is present everywhere in the bodies of divinities, men etc., It is ‘undivided’ because of Its form being that of the knower. However, to those who are ignorant, It appears divided, by such forms as those of divinities etc.—’I am a divinity,’ ‘ man’ etc. Though the self can be contemplated by way of co-ordinate predication as one with the body in such significations as, ‘I am divinity, I am a man, ‘ It can be known as being different from the body, because of Its being a knower. That is why it has already been pointed out at the beginning: ‘He who knows It? (13.1). Now Shri Krsna says that It can be known as different also on other grounds—as the ‘supporter of elements’ etc. Because It supports the earth and other elements combined in the shape of the body, the self can be known as being different from the elements supported. The sense is that It can be known as a separate entity. Likewise, It is that which ‘devours’, namely, the consumer of physical food etc. Because, It ‘devours’ the food, It can be known as an entity different from the elements. It causes ‘generation’—It is the cause of transformation of consumed food etc., into other forms like blood etc. As eating, generating etc., are not seen in a corpse, it is settled that the body, an aggregate of elements, cannot be the cause of devouring food, generating of species and supporting them.