Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.16.38
Āśraya· The supreme shelterNothing Exists Without the Supreme Lord
“As the Supreme Lord I am the basis of the living entity, of the modes of nature and of the mahat-tattva. Thus I am everything, and nothing whatsoever can exist without Me.”
What the purport teaches
- Everything we experience in the material world combines the living entity and matter. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the basis of both, and nothing exists even for a moment without His mercy.
- This does not make the Lord material: both He and the living entity are transcendental to material nature. The living entity may dream that he is material, but the Lord always remembers their transcendental positions.
- Life’s actual purpose is to understand with mature conviction the transcendental Lord, His abode and our own transcendental position. We must also understand the process of returning home, back to Godhead.
Try this today
Spend one minute reflecting on this statement: nothing can exist even for a moment without the Supreme Lord’s mercy.
Ask yourself
How can remembering my dependence on the Lord’s mercy strengthen my purpose in life?
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.