Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.40.17-18
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesOffer Obeisances to the Lord’s Incarnations
“I offer my obeisances to You, the cause of the creation, Lord Matsya, who swam about in the ocean of dissolution, to Lord Hayagrīva, the killer of Madhu and Kaiṭabha, to the immense tortoise [Lord Kūrma], who supported Mandara Mountain, and to the boar incarnation [Lord Varāha], who enjoyed lifting the earth.”
What the purport teaches
- The prayer honors Lord Matsya, the cause of creation, who swam in the ocean of dissolution, and Lord Hayagrīva, who killed Madhu and Kaiṭabha.
- Lord Kūrma is the immense tortoise who supported Mandara Mountain. The Viśva-kośa dictionary explains that akūpārāya indicates the king of tortoises.
- The prayer also honors Lord Varāha, the boar incarnation, who enjoyed lifting the earth.
Try this today
Read the translation slowly and offer obeisances to each form of the Lord named in it.
Ask yourself
Which of these descriptions most helps me offer heartfelt respect to the Lord?
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.