Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.3.1
Āśraya· The supreme shelterHumbly Inquire About the Lord’s Illusory Energy
“King Nimi said: Now we wish to learn about the illusory potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Viṣṇu, which bewilders even great mystics. My lords, please speak to us about this subject.”
What the purport teaches
- King Nimi asks about the illusory potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Viṣṇu. This energy can bewilder even great mystics.
- Desires for material sense gratification drive both demigods and human beings to seek material knowledge. Their senses remain busy measuring material sense objects.
- Māyā causes conditioned souls to turn away from Kṛṣṇa consciousness and surrender to bewildering material manifestations. King Nimi therefore seeks deeper understanding from saintly teachers.
Try this today
Read King Nimi’s request aloud and write one sincere question you have about māyā.
Ask yourself
How much of my desire for knowledge serves sense gratification rather than understanding the Lord?
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.