Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.11.38
Āśraya· The supreme shelterThe Lord’s Shelter Transcends Material Influence
“This is the divinity of the Personality of Godhead: He is not affected by the qualities of material nature, even though He is in contact with them. Similarly, the devotees who have taken shelter of the Lord do not become influenced by the material qualities.”
What the purport teaches
- The Personality of Godhead is nirguṇa, beyond the qualities of material nature. Although He is the ultimate source of everything, He remains above the actions of those qualities.
- First-grade devotees are not contaminated by honor or insult, hunger or satisfaction. Even when engaged in worldly dealings, they remain spiritually unaffected through shelter of the Lord.
- The Lord protects an unalloyed devotee who is fully engaged in His devotional service. A fall caused by previous material contamination is accidental and temporary, and will soon vanish.
Try this today
If praise or criticism comes today, pause and return your attention to one small act of service to the Lord.
Ask yourself
How much do honor and insult distract me from devotional service?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.