Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.16.5
Āśraya· The supreme shelterAll Opulence Rests Upon the Lord
“O supremely potent Lord, please explain to me Your innumerable potencies, which You manifest on the earth, in heaven, in hell and indeed in all directions. I offer my humble obeisances at Your lotus feet, which are the shelter of all holy places.”
What the purport teaches
- Uddhava asks the Lord to explain His material and spiritual potencies manifested throughout the universe.
- Materialists cannot appreciate the mighty opulences of the Personality of Godhead. For ordinary people’s benefit, Uddhava asks how and in what forms the Lord manifests His potencies.
- Every mighty or opulent manifestation ultimately rests on the Lord. Uddhava humbly bows at His lotus feet, the shelter of all holy places.
Try this today
Notice one powerful or beautiful manifestation today and offer a brief prayer acknowledging that it rests on the Lord.
Ask yourself
What impressive thing around you could remind you of the Lord’s supporting power?
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.