Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.9.21
Āśraya· The supreme shelterSee Spiritual Knowledge Everywhere
“Just as from within himself the spider expands thread through his mouth, plays with it for some time and eventually swallows it, similarly, the Supreme Personality of Godhead expands His personal potency from within Himself. Thus, the Lord displays the network of cosmic manifestation, utilizes it according to His purpose and eventually withdraws it completely within Himself.”
What the purport teaches
- Just as a spider expands and withdraws its thread, the Supreme Personality of Godhead expands His personal potency and withdraws the cosmic manifestation.
- The Lord displays this cosmic network and uses it according to His purpose.
- An intelligent person can obtain spiritual knowledge even from a spider. For one whose eyes are opened in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, transcendental knowledge is visible everywhere.
Try this today
Spend a minute reflecting on the spider’s thread as an illustration of the Lord’s expansion and withdrawal of His potency.
Ask yourself
How might Kṛṣṇa consciousness change the way you observe the world?
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.