Two Ways To Understand the Concept of Always

By krishnasmercy on November 13, 2026 • ( 0 )

“Brahma, it is I, the Personality of Godhead, who was existing before the creation, when there was nothing but Myself. Nor was there the material nature, the cause of this creation. That which you see now is also I, the Personality of Godhead, and after annihilation what remains will also be I, the Personality of Godhead.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 2.9.33)

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अहम् एवासम् एवाग्रे
नान्यद् यत् सद्-असत् परम्
पश्चाद् अहं यद् एतच् च
यो ऽवशिष्येत सो ऽस्म्य् अहम्

aham evāsam evāgre
nānyad yat sad-asat param
paścād ahaṁ yad etac ca
yo ‘vaśiṣyeta so ‘smy aham

The Sanskrit word is sarvada. It is often paired with sarvatra, when describing both the highest being of all and devotion to Him. Sarvatra says that He is everywhere. In the corner office; the one with windows on both sides. In the desolate forest, where the philosopher wonders if the falling tree actually produces a sound. There is no one to witness the fall, otherwise. The sarvatra property gives the answer in the affirmative. Someone is there. He might not be visible to the eyes of the uninitiated. Those without proper training cannot see the extension, the expansion, the presence of the one who is like the original fire of the universe.

एक-देश-स्थितस्याग्नेर्
ज्योत्स्ना विस्तारिणी यथा
परस्य ब्रह्मणः शक्तिस्
तथेदम् अखिलṁ जगत्

eka-deśa-sthitasyāgner
jyotsnā vistāriṇī yathā
parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktis
tathedam akhilaṁ jagat

“Everything that is manifested within this cosmic world is but the energy of the Supreme Lord. As fire emanating from one place diffuses its illumination and heat all around, so the Lord, although situated in one place in the spiritual world, manifests His different energies everywhere. Indeed, the whole cosmic creation is composed of different manifestations of His energy.” (Vishnu Purana, 1.22.52)

The Supreme Being is inside of the cave. He is underwater and high in the sky. He is the witness in the heart…of every living being! This means that He is there with the powerful leader, who makes, shapes, and administers public policy. He is inside of the constituent, who is forced to obey those rules, however ridiculous they may be. He is inside, neutral, but also responsible for the movement of the body that is like a machine.

ईश्वरः सर्व-भूतानां
हृद्-देशे ऽर्जुन तिष्ठति
भ्रामयन् सर्व-भूतानि
यन्त्रारूढानि मायया

īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
hṛd-deśe ‘rjuna tiṣṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni
yantrārūḍhāni māyayā

“The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 18.61)

If we acknowledge the sarvatra property, there is the issue of time. Just when does this property manifest? How long does it hold true?

1. Before

Sarvada says that the Supreme Lord exists before. Of course, time is relative. My beginning, middle, and end are different from yours. I spent the last few days attending a sporting event. I used to go regularly, when I was younger. In my old age, I am not as eager to sit outside for ten hours, jumping from court to court, to walk several miles in a day. Nevertheless, I gave it a try. It was interesting to see competitors in the prime of youth. They are just starting out. They are in the beginning. I am heading towards the end. There are players I saw a long time ago who have finished completely. They are retired from competition.

अहम् आत्मा गुडाकेश
सर्व-भूताशय-स्थितः
अहम् आदिश् च मध्यं च
भूतानाम् अन्त एव च

aham ātmā guḍākeśa
sarva-bhūtāśaya-sthitaḥ
aham ādiś ca madhyaṁ ca
bhūtānām anta eva ca

“I am the Self, O Gudakesha, seated in the hearts of all creatures. I am the beginning, the middle and the end of all beings.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 10.20)

Shrimad Bhagavatam uses the creator as the pivot point. The Supreme Lord is there before the presence of the creator, who is a person. The creator takes the three modes of nature as a kind of color palette. He then uses those colors to shape different suits or body types. The variety reaches the number of eight million, four hundred thousand.

Those body types then have corresponding living beings. The body is matter. The living being is spirit. Matter cannot do anything on its own, as the creator was responsible for giving shape to those modes of nature. The living beings temporarily inhabiting those body types then go about making nature, as we know it, work. Before there was an earth, there had to be a sun. Before there was a sun, there had to be someone to put that large collection of matter in its place. The person who was there even before the creator is the Supreme Lord, who is known as Bhagavan.

2. After

It makes sense that I would focus on my experiences. This is my life, after all. I only know what I have experienced. For everything else, I have to take your word for it. I have to extend faith to the testimony of my parents, grandparents, ancestors, neighbors, friends, relatives, and distinguished personalities. There is no other way. I only know what happened in this world in the past because of recorded observations. Some of those were written on paper and some were passed along in an oral tradition.

People say that life existed prior to my birth. I believe them. I am in the middle period of my life experience. Soon, there will be an end. I have witnessed the end for others. I noticed that life in the manifest world continued. This means that after I am gone, the same will hold true. But what about for the universe itself? Will everything eventually get destroyed? If everything had to be created, then it stands to reason that there will be annihilation on the other side; two endpoints to a single timeline.

Sarvada says that Bhagavan will be around after annihilation. When there is nothing left. When there is no population of which to speak. This transformation from nothing to something and back to nothing actually takes place in a cycle. Esteemed teachers from the past have experienced the dissolution. One person gave testimony of seeing only a small child remaining, who was lying on the leaf of a banyan tree, without a care in the world.

तावच्छिशोर्वै श्वसितेन भार्गव:
सोऽन्त: शरीरं मशको यथाविशत्
तत्राप्यदो न्यस्तमचष्ट कृत्‍स्‍नशो
यथा पुरामुह्यदतीव विस्मित:

tāvac chiśor vai śvasitena bhārgavaḥ
so ’ntaḥ śarīraṁ maśako yathāviśat
tatrāpy ado nyastam acaṣṭa kṛtsnaśo
yathā purāmuhyad atīva vismitaḥ

“Just then the child inhaled, drawing Markandeya within His body like a mosquito. There the sage found the entire universe arrayed as it had been before its dissolution. Seeing this, Markandeya was most astonished and perplexed.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 12.9.27)

Applying both properties, sarvatra and sarvada, we see that access to the Supreme Lord is never limited. We cannot say that there is only one pathway to Him, through one particular savior, since that would invalidate the properties mentioned. The concept of “always” implies both before and after. The same property extends to devotion to Bhagavan. This is another reason why genuine religion is accurately labelled “sanatana-dharma.” It is the way of the individual, for living in the proper condition, that is without beginning and without end.