12
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 8, Ch. 1]
and grandsons in his dynasty, is now describing all the property of the universe as belonging to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Manu's instructions are not only for his own sons and grandsons, but for all of human society. The word "man"—or, in Sanskrit,  manuṣya —has been derived from the name Manu, for all the members of human society are descendants of the original Manu. Manu is also mentioned in  Bhagavad-gītā  (4.1), where the Lord says:
imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam vivasvān manave prāha manur ikṣvākave 'bravīt
"I instructed this imperishable science of  yoga  to the sun-god, Vivasvān, and Vivasvān instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Ikṣvāku." Svāyambhuva Manu and Vaivasvata Manu have similar duties. Vaivasvata Manu was born of the sun-god, Vivasvān, and his son was Ikṣvāku, the King of the earth. Since Manu is understood to be the original father of humanity, human society should follow his instructions.
Svāyambhuva Manu instructs that whatever exists, not only in the spiritual world but even within this material world, is the property of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is present everywhere as the Superconsciousness. As confirmed in  Bhagavad-gītā  (13.3),  kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata : in every field—in other words, in every body—the Supreme Lord is existing as the Supersoul. The individual soul is given a body in which to live and act according to the instructions of the Supreme Person, and therefore the Supreme Person also exists within every body. We should not think that we are independent; rather, we should understand that we are allotted a certain portion of the total property of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
This understanding will lead to perfect communism. Communists think in terms of their own nations, but the spiritual communism instructed here is not only nationwide but universal. Nothing belongs to any nation or any individual person; everything belongs to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the meaning of this verse.  Ātmāvāsyam idaṁ viśvam : whatever exists within this universe is the property of the