Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.13.19
Āśraya· The supreme shelterKṛṣṇa Expands Yet Always Remains Complete
“By His Vāsudeva feature, Kṛṣṇa simultaneously expanded Himself into the exact number of missing cowherd boys and calves, with their exact bodily features, their particular types of hands, legs and other limbs, their sticks, bugles and flutes, their lunch bags, their particular types of dress and ornaments placed in various ways, their names, ages and forms, and their special activities and characteristics. By expanding Himself in this way, beautiful Kṛṣṇa proved the statement samagra-jagad viṣṇumayam: “Lord Viṣṇu is all-pervading.””
What the purport teaches
- Kṛṣṇa expanded into the exact number of missing boys and calves. Every bodily feature, possession, name, habit and activity was reproduced in detail.
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead can expand into countless forms without losing His original form as Kṛṣṇa. He can become everything while remaining personally distinct, always complete and unchanged.
- One must learn about Kṛṣṇa from the ācāryas. Following their path allows one to understand Him, and true understanding of Kṛṣṇa frees one from material bondage.
Try this today
Reread Śrīla Prabhupāda’s explanation that Kṛṣṇa remains complete, and write down one thing it teaches you about Him.
Ask yourself
Why is guidance from the ācāryas important when learning about Kṛṣṇa’s unlimited expansions?
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.