Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.12.9
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesThe Unlimited Lord Makes Himself Approachable
“The Lord was enriched with four hands, earrings of molten gold and eyes blood red with fury. As He loitered about, His club constantly encircled Him like a shooting star.”
What the purport teaches
- The Lord appeared with four hands, golden earrings and eyes red with fury, His club moving around Him like a shooting star. All-pervading as Paramātmā, He entered Uttarā’s womb to save His beloved devotee.
- The Lord can become greater than thousands of universes or smaller than an atom while remaining equally all-powerful. Mercifully, He appeared in a form suited to Parīkṣit’s vision.
- The Lord also accepts the form of arcā-vigraha, the worshipable Deity, to receive His devotees’ service. This approachable form is all-spiritual and must never be considered material.
Try this today
Offer a respectful prayer today, thanking the Lord for making Himself approachable so that devotees can serve Him.
Ask yourself
How does understanding the Lord’s mercy change the way I regard His worshipable Deity?
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.