Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.14.19
Āśraya· The supreme shelterThe Ultimate Truth Is a Supreme Person
“To persons ignorant of Your actual transcendental position, You appear as part of the material world, manifesting Yourself by the expansion of Your inconceivable energy. Thus for the creation of the universe You appear as me [Brahmā], for its maintenance You appear as Yourself [Viṣṇu], and for its annihilation You appear as Lord Trinetra [Śiva].”
What the purport teaches
- Those ignorant of Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental position see Him as part of the material world. His manifestations actually arise through His inconceivable energy.
- Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva are real expansions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not illusory figures. They are extraordinarily powerful controllers of the universe.
- The ultimate truth is a supreme and beautiful person. Throughout His creation, we therefore find the personal touch.
Try this today
Reread the translation and identify the personal controller named for creation, maintenance and annihilation.
Ask yourself
What changes in your understanding when you consider the ultimate truth to be a beautiful person?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.