Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.3.35
Āśraya· The supreme shelterKṛṣṇa Is the Cause of All Causes
“Śrī Pippalāyana said: The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the cause of the creation, maintenance and destruction of this universe, yet He has no prior cause. He pervades the various states of wakefulness, dreaming and unconscious deep sleep and also exists beyond them. By entering the body of every living being as the Supersoul, He enlivens the body, senses, life airs and mental activities, and thus all the subtle and gross organs of the body begin their functions. My dear King, know that Personality of Godhead to be the Supreme.”
What the purport teaches
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead causes the universe’s creation, maintenance and destruction, yet He has no prior cause. His original form is Kṛṣṇa, who enjoys blissful pastimes in His own transcendental abode.
- The Lord exists within waking, dreaming and deep sleep, and also beyond them. As the Supersoul, He enlivens each living being’s body, senses, life airs and mind.
- The material world accommodates conditioned souls who desire sense gratification in forgetfulness of the Lord. Kṛṣṇa desires that they give up māyā, surrender to Him and return to His eternal kingdom.
Try this today
Before one activity today, pause to remember that the Lord enables your body and mind to function, and offer to use them in His service.
Ask yourself
How might remembering my dependence on the Supersoul change the way I use my senses today?
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.