Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 12.4.29
Āśraya· The supreme shelterMaterial Nature Is the Lord’s External Potency
“Although perceived, the transformation of even a single atom of material nature has no ultimate definition without reference to the Supreme Soul. To be accepted as factually existing, something must possess the same quality as pure spirit — eternal, unchanging existence.”
What the purport teaches
- Even the transformation of a single atom has no ultimate definition without reference to the Supreme Soul. Eternal, unchanging existence is the standard of factual reality.
- A desert mirage appears to be water but is actually a manifestation of light. Its appearance must be understood in relation to its source.
- Similarly, material nature falsely appears independent of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is actually His external potency.
Try this today
Look at one material object and consciously remember that material nature is the Lord’s external potency.
Ask yourself
Do you tend to see material nature as independent, or as the Lord’s external potency?
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.