Ādi-līlā, Chapter 1
55
The spiritual world is brightly illuminated, but the material world is wrapped in darkness. In the material world, sunshine, moonshine or different kinds of artificial light are required to dispel darkness, especially at night, for by nature the material world is dark. Therefore the Supreme Lord has arranged for sunshine and moonshine. But in His abode, as described in  Bhagavad-gītā  (15.6), there is no necessity for lighting by sunshine, moonshine or electricity because everything is self-effulgent.
That which is relative, temporary and far away from the Absolute Truth is called  māyā , or ignorance. This illusion is exhibited in two ways, as explained in  Bhagavad-gītā . The inferior illusion is inert matter, and the superior illusion is the living entity. The living entities are called illusory in this context only because they are implicated in the illusory structures and activities of the material world. Actually the living entities are not illusory, for they are parts of the superior energy of the Supreme Lord and do not have to be covered by  māyā  if they do not want to be so. The actions of the living entities in the spiritual kingdom are not illusory; they are the actual, eternal activities of liberated souls.
TEXT 55
যথা মহাস্তি ভূতানি ভূতেষ্ণাবচেষ্ম ।
প্রবিষ্টায়প্রবিষ্টানি তথা তেষ্ন ন তেষ্মহম্ ॥ ৫৫
yathā mahānti bhūtāni bhūteṣūccāvaceṣv anu praviṣṭāny apraviṣṭāni tathā teṣu na teṣv aham
SYNONYMS
yathā —as;  mahānti —the universal;  bhūtāni —elements;  bhūteṣu —in the living entities;  ucca-avaceṣu —both gigantic and minute;  anu —after;  praviṣṭāni —situated internally;  apraviṣṭāni —situated externally;  tathā —so;  teṣu —in them;  na —not;  teṣu —in them;  aham —1.
TRANSLATION
“As the material elements enter the bodies of all living beings and yet remain outside them all, I exist within all material creations and yet am not within them.
PURPORT
The gross material elements (earth, water, fire, air and ether) combine with the subtle material elements (mind, intelligence and false ego) to construct the bodies of this material world, and yet they are beyond these bodies as well. Any material construction is nothing but an amalgamation or combination of material elements in varied proportions. These elements exist both within and beyond the body. For example, although the sky exists in space, it also enters within the body. Similarly,