Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan

Bg 13.17

avibhaktaṁ ca bhūteṣu
vibhaktam iva ca sthitam
bhūta-bhartṛ ca taj jñeyaṁ
grasiṣṇu prabhaviṣṇu ca

Synonyms: 

avibhaktam — without division; ca — also; bhūteṣu — in all living beings; vibhaktam — divided; iva — as if; ca— also; sthitam — situated; bhūta–bhartṛ — the maintainer of all living entities; ca — also; tat — that; jñeyam — to be understood; grasiṣṇu — devouring; prabhaviṣṇu — developing; ca — also.

Translation: 

Although the Supersoul appears to be divided among all beings, He is never divided. He is situated as one. Although He is the maintainer of every living entity, it is to be understood that He devours and develops all.

avibhaktaṁ ca bhūteṣu, avibhaktaṁ means undivided 

vibhaktam iva ca sthitam, although He is undivided He is acting as if He is divided

bhūta-bhartṛ ca taj jñeyaṁ, He is maintainer of all living beings, taj jñeyaṁ, He is the knower

grasiṣṇu prabhaviṣṇu ca, grasiṣṇu is He is devourer and also the developer of all the things. 

avibhaktaṁ ca bhūteṣu, Super Soul in different hearts appears different, are They different no He is one with different manifestations. 

iva ca sthitam, as if He is situated separately

iva means like, used for comparing 

eva means certainly used to emphasize  

As sun is reflected in 100s of water container it is same because it is reflection of same sun but it is not same because it doesn’t contain same potency as Sun.

bhūta-bhartṛ ca taj jñeyaṁ, that AT is the maintainer of everyone, 

grasiṣṇu prabhaviṣṇu ca, but it is also destroyer of everyone and creator of everyone.

Through the time creation, maintenance and destruction happens and here the point of AT being the transcendental to material changes is brought out by saying all these three material changes are the agencies of time. So we are all just the instrument, in SB there is verse Patu Chutam Thisthati that when a person loses money, the wallet falls on the road and the person loses the money and again gains it by some means, so in that way one understands that things are not in my control. So our actions are not final it is not decisive. Similarly husband is potent and wife is fertile still a couple do not get child.  So ultimate is Supreme Lord. As Parikshit Maharaj understood that the curse he got is by Lord’s arrangement and He came in the form of Hari Katha in his life.

End of transcription.