Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.8.41
Āśraya· The supreme shelterSurrender Beyond the Reach of Speculation
“Therefore let me surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead and offer my obeisances unto Him, who is beyond the conception of human speculation, the mind, activities, words and arguments, who is the original cause of this cosmic manifestation, by whom the entire cosmos is maintained, and by whom we can conceive of its existence. Let me simply offer my obeisances, for He is beyond my contemplation, speculation and meditation. He is beyond all of my material activities.”
What the purport teaches
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the original cause of everything, beyond material speculation, words and arguments. His greatness cannot be understood by material means, subtle or gross.
- Unable to ascertain the cause of the vision, mother Yaśodā offered obeisances to the Supreme Lord to protect her child. When a cause cannot be understood, the devotee takes shelter at His lotus feet.
- A devotee accepts suffering as a small result of past misdeeds and continues offering obeisances to the Lord. Material suffering comes and goes, so one should tolerate it and continue the duty ordained by the spiritual master.
Try this today
Offer one respectful obeisance to the Supreme Lord, acknowledging the limits of your understanding and seeking His shelter.
Ask yourself
How might offering respectful obeisances help you respond to something you cannot understand?
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.