Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.87.15
Āśraya· The supreme shelterEverything Depends on the Supreme Lord
“This perceivable world is identified with the Supreme because the Supreme Brahman is the ultimate foundation of all existence, remaining unchanged as all created things are generated from it and at last dissolved into it, just as clay remains unchanged by the products made from it and again merged with it. Thus it is toward You alone that the Vedic sages direct all their thoughts, words and acts. After all, how can the footsteps of men fail to touch the earth on which they live?”
What the purport teaches
- There is only one ultimate source of creation: the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lord Viṣṇu alone is the Absolute Truth; the demigods possess only powers He grants them.
- Everything expands from the Lord and dissolves into Him, yet He remains eternally unchanged. Like clay underlying its various products, He is the constant basis of all manifestations.
- Lord Kṛṣṇa identifies Himself as the Supreme Absolute Truth, on whom everything depends. Understanding this dependence, the Vedic sages direct their thoughts, words and acts toward Him.
Try this today
Choose one ordinary object today and reflect on its dependence on the Supreme Lord, then offer Him a short prayer of respect.
Ask yourself
How would remembering that everything depends on the Lord change the way I use my words today?
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.