214
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 8, Ch. 6]
TEXT 12
यथाग्निमेधस्यमृतं च गोषु 
  भुव्यन्नमम्बूद्यमने च वृत्तिम् । 
  योगैर्मनुष्या अधियन्ति हि त्वां 
  गुणेषु बुद्ध्या कवयो वदन्ति ॥१२॥
yathāgnim edhasy amṛtaṁ ca goṣu 
  bhuvy annam ambūdyamane ca vṛttim 
  yogair manuṣyā adhiyanti hi tvāṁ 
  guṇeṣu buddhyā kavayo vadanti
yathā —as;  agnim —fire;  edhasi —in wood;  amṛtam —milk, which is like nectar;  ca —and;  goṣu —from cows;  bhuvi —on the ground;  annam —food grains;  ambu —water;  udyamane —in enterprise;  ca —also;  vṛttim —livelihood;  yogaiḥ —by practice of  bhakti-yoga ;  manuṣyāḥ —human beings;  adhiyanti —achieve;  hi —indeed;  tvām —You;  guṇeṣu —in the material modes of nature;  buddhyā —by intelligence;  kavayaḥ —great personalities;  vadanti —say.
TRANSLATION
As one can derive fire from wood, milk from the milk bag of the cow, food grains and water from the land, and prosperity in one's livelihood from industrial enterprises, so, by the practice of  bhakti-yoga , even within this material world, one can achieve Your favor or intelligently approach You. Those who are pious all affirm this.
PURPORT
Although the Supreme Personality of Godhead is  nirguṇa , not to be found within this material world, the entire material world is pervaded by Him, as stated in  Bhagavad-gītā  ( mayā tatam idaṁ sarvam ). The material world is nothing but an expansion of the Lord's material energy, and the entire cosmic manifestation rests upon Him ( mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni ). Nonetheless, the Supreme Lord cannot be found here ( na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ ). A devotee, however, can see the Supreme Personality of Godhead through the practice of  bhakti-yoga . One ordinarily does not begin to practice  bhakti-yoga  unless he has practiced it in pre-