Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 12.4.30
Āśraya· The supreme shelterNo Material Duality in the Absolute Truth
“There is no material duality in the Absolute Truth. The duality perceived by an ignorant person is like the difference between the sky contained in an empty pot and the sky outside the pot, or the difference between the reflection of the sun in water and the sun itself in the sky, or the difference between the vital air within one living body and that within another body.”
What the purport teaches
- There is no material duality in the Absolute Truth. An ignorant person nevertheless perceives such duality.
- The verse compares this perception to distinguishing the sky inside an empty pot from the sky outside it.
- Other comparisons are the sun’s reflection in water and the sun in the sky, or the vital air within different living bodies.
Try this today
Consider an empty pot or cup and reflect on the verse’s comparison of the sky within and outside it.
Ask yourself
How does the example of the sky inside and outside a pot challenge your perception of separation?
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.