Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.87.28
Āśraya· The supreme shelterThe Supreme Lord Sustains All Our Powers
“Though You have no material senses, You are the self-effulgent sustainer of everyone’s sensory powers. The demigods and material nature herself offer You tribute, while also enjoying the tribute offered them by their worshipers, just as subordinate rulers of various districts in a kingdom offer tribute to their lord, the ultimate proprietor of the land, while also enjoying the tribute paid them by their own subjects. In this way the universal creators faithfully execute their assigned services out of fear of You.”
What the purport teaches
- The Lord has no material senses, but this does not mean He lacks a personal form. His beautiful spiritual features manifest His internal nature, and He and His body are identical.
- The Lord sustains everyone’s powers of hearing, thinking and speaking. His own powers have no material limitations, and no one is equal to or greater than Him.
- The demigods and universal creators serve under the Supreme Lord’s authority, carrying out their duties in fearful reverence. All intelligent living beings should likewise acknowledge His sovereignty and willingly engage in devotional service.
Try this today
Use your voice to read aloud one sentence of this prayer, offering that small act as devotional service to the Lord.
Ask yourself
How might remembering that the Lord sustains my senses change the way I use them?
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.