Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.87.26
Āśraya· The supreme shelterSee the World in Relation to the Lord
“The three modes of material nature comprise everything in this world — from the simplest phenomena to the complex human body. Although these phenomena appear real, they are only a false reflection of the spiritual reality, being a superimposition of the mind upon You. Still, those who know the Supreme Self consider the entire material creation to be real inasmuch as it is nondifferent from the Self. Just as things made of gold are indeed not to be rejected, since their substance is actual gold, so this world is undoubtedly nondifferent from the Lord who created it and then entered within it.”
What the purport teaches
- The substance of this universe is real because it is the Lord’s external energy. The forms Māyā imposes on it are temporary, and taking them as permanent is illusion.
- Gold ornaments remain gold despite their different shapes. Similarly, the Lord’s material and spiritual energies are different from Him yet nondifferent from Him.
- True knowledge frees us from illusion by helping us see the Lord throughout His creation. The conclusion is to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, on whom the world depends.
Try this today
Look at one object you use today and reflect that its form is temporary, while its substance is the Lord’s energy.
Ask yourself
Where do I treat a temporary material form as though it will last forever?
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.