Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.87.36
Āśraya· The supreme shelterThe World Is Real but Temporary
“It may be proposed that this world is permanently real because it is generated from the permanent reality, but such an argument is subject to logical refutation. Sometimes, indeed, the apparent nondifference of a cause and its effect fails to prove true, and at other times the product of something real is illusory. Furthermore, this world cannot be permanently real, for it partakes of the natures of not only the absolute reality but also the illusion disguising that reality. Actually, the visible forms of this world are just an imaginary arrangement resorted to by a succession of ignorant persons in order to facilitate their material affairs. With their various meanings and implications, the learned words of Your Vedas bewilder all persons whose minds have been dulled by hearing the incantations of sacrificial rituals.”
What the purport teaches
- Devotees of Lord Viṣṇu understand that the created world is real but temporary. The Upaniṣads describe a higher spiritual existence whose nature is divine knowledge and bliss.
- Coming from the eternal reality does not make the world's changing forms eternal. The illusion lies in treating our bodies and other temporary material forms as permanent.
- Materialistic teachings pass this illusion from one generation to another, promising perfection through mundane rituals. The Vedas, the learned words of the Personality of Godhead, bewilder those whose excessive faith in karma prevents deeper understanding.
Try this today
Notice one changing material thing today and remind yourself, “This is real but temporary; it is not the highest reality.”
Ask yourself
What temporary part of my life am I treating 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.