Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.85.6
Āśraya· The supreme shelterAll Energies Depend on the Supreme Lord
“Whatever potencies the life air and other elements of universal creation exhibit are actually all personal energies of the Supreme Lord, for both life and matter are subordinate to Him and dependent on Him, and also different from one another. Thus everything active in the material world is set into motion by the Supreme Lord.”
What the purport teaches
- Prāṇa, the vital air of life, is subtler than ordinary air, but it is not the ultimate source of everything. Its power to function depends on Paramātmā.
- As an arrow receives its velocity from the bowman’s strength, all subordinate energies receive their power from the Supreme Lord.
- Even empowered elements cannot act together without the Supersoul’s coordinating direction. The universe manifests when its parts are assembled by the Lord’s energy.
Try this today
Before beginning one activity, acknowledge that your capacity to act depends on the Supreme Lord.
Ask yourself
Where do I overlook the Lord’s power behind my own ability to act?
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.