5.77

visnos tu trini rupani

purusakhyany atho viduh

ekam tu mahatah srastr

dvitiyam tv anda-samsthitam

trtiyam sarva-bhuta-stham

tani jnatva vimucyate

SYNONYMS

visnoh—of Lord Visnu; tu—certainly; trini—three; rupani—forms; purusa-akhyani—celebrated as the purusa; atho—how; viduh—they know; ekam—one of them; tu—but; mahatah srastr—the creator of the total material energy; dvitiyam—the second; tu—but; anda-samsthitam—situated within the universe; trtiyam—the third; sarva-bhuta-stham—within the hearts of all living entities; tani—these three; jnatva—knowing; vimucyate—one becomes liberated "Visnu has three forms called purusas.

The first, Maha-Visnu, is the creator of the total material energy (mahat), the second is Garbhodasayi, who is situated within each universe, and the third is Ksirodasayi, who lives in the heart of every living being.

He who knows these three becomes liberated from the clutches of maya.

PURPORT

This verse appears in the Laghu-bhagavatamrta (Purva 2.9), where it has been quoted from the Satvata-tantra.