Text 7] The Dynasty of Arnsuman 9
longitude; idam—this whole universe; protam—latitude; visvam—the
whole universe; Sdti—a cloth; iva—as; tantusu—in threads.
TRANSLATION

Like a cloth woven of threads extending for its length and
breadth, this entire universe, in all its latitude and longitude, is
situated under different potencies of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. Lord Siva is the incarnation of the Lord, and thus he
represents the Supersoul in the embodied soul. He can sustain
your forceful waves on his head.

PURPORT

The water of the Ganges is supposed to rest on the head of Lord Siva.
Lord Siva is an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who
sustains the entire universe by different potencies. Lord Siva is described
in the Brahma-samhita (5.45):

ksiram yatha dadhi vikara-visesa-yogat
sanjayate na hi tatah prthag asti hetoh
yah sambhutam api tatha samupaiti karyad
govindam ddi-purusam tam aham bhajami

“Milk changes into yogurt when mixed with a yogurt culture, but ac-
tually yogurt is constitutionally nothing but milk. Similarly, Govinda,
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, assumes the form of Lord Siva for
the special purpose of material transactions. I offer my obeisances at Lord
Govinda’s lotus feet.’’ Lord Siva is the Supreme Personality of Godhead
in the same sense that yogurt is also milk although at the same time it is
not milk. For the maintenance of the material world there are three in-
carnations—Brahma, Visnu and Mahegvara (Lord Siva). Lord Siva is
Visnu in an incarnation for the mode of ignorance. The material world
exists predominantly in the mode of ignorance. Therefore Lord Siva is
compared here to the longitude and latitude of the entire universe, which
resembles a cloth woven of threads extending for both its length and
breadth.
