378
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 4, Ch. 9]
beginning, therefore, without wasting time in bodily exercises, a devotee searches out a pure devotee, and simply by his association becomes more advanced in spiritual consciousness than any  yogī . Because a devotee knows that he is not the body, he is never affected by bodily happiness or distress. He is not interested in bodily relationships with wife, children, home, bank balance, etc., or in the distress or happiness which comes from these things. This is the special advantage of being a devotee. This status of life is possible only when a person is interested in associating with a pure devotee who always enjoys the fragrance of the lotus feet of the Lord.
TEXT 13
तिर्यङ्नगद्विजसरीसृपदेवदैत्य-
मत्यार्दिभिः परिचितं सदसद्विशेषम् ।
रूपं स्थविष्ठमज ते महदाद्यनेकं
नातः परं परम वेषि न यत्र वादः ॥१३॥
tiryaṅ-naga-dvija-sarīṣṛpa-deva-daitya- martyādibhiḥ paricitam sad-asad-viśeṣam rūpam sthaviṣṭham aja te mahad-ādy-anekam nātaḥ param parama vedmi na yatra vādaḥ
tiryak—by animals; naga—trees; dvija—birds; sarīṣṛpa—reptiles; deva—demigods; daitya—demons; martya-ādibhiḥ—by men, etc.; paricitam—pervaded; sat-asat-viśeṣam—with varieties manifest and nonmanifest; rūpam—form; sthaviṣṭham—gross universal; aja—O unborn; te—Your; mahat-ādi—caused by the total material energy, etc.; anekam—various causes; na—not; ataḥ—from this; param—transcendental; parama—O Supreme; vedmi—I know; na—not; yatra—where; vādaḥ—various arguments.
TRANSLATION
My dear Lord, O Supreme Unborn, I know that the different varieties of living entities, such as animals, trees, birds, reptiles, demigods and human beings, are spread throughout the universe, which is caused by the total material energy, and I know that they are sometimes manifest and sometimes unmanifest; but I have never experienced the supreme form I behold as I see You now. Now all kinds of theorizing processes are finished.
PURPORT
In the  Bhagavad-gītā  the Lord says that He has spread Himself throughout the universe, but although everything is resting upon Him, He is aloof.