Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.16.37
Āśraya· The supreme shelterAll Universes Rest on His Effulgence
“I am form, taste, aroma, touch and sound; false ego; the mahat-tattva; earth, water, fire, air and sky; the living entity; material nature; the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance; and the transcendental Lord. All these items, along with knowledge of their individual symptoms and the steady conviction that results from this knowledge, represent Me.”
What the purport teaches
- The Lord summarizes the opulences that expand from His bodily effulgence.
- All material universes, with their infinite varieties, transformations and opulences, rest on that effulgence.
- The listed elements, the living entity, material nature and the transcendental Lord represent Him. Knowledge of their individual symptoms and the steady conviction arising from it also represent Him.
Try this today
Reread the verse slowly and reflect on its statement that both the listed items and knowledge of them represent the Lord.
Ask yourself
How does knowing that all universes rest on the Lord’s effulgence shape my understanding of His greatness?
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.