Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 12.8.33-34
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesThe Lord’s Forms Embody Austerity
“One of Them was of a whitish complexion, the other blackish, and They both had four arms. Their eyes resembled the petals of blooming lotuses, and They wore garments of black deerskin and bark, along with the three-stranded sacred thread. In Their hands, which were most purifying, They carried the mendicant’s waterpot, straight bamboo staff and lotus-seed prayer beads, as well as the all-purifying Vedas in the symbolic form of bundles of darbha grass. Their bearing was tall and Their yellow effulgence the color of radiant lightning. Appearing as austerity personified, They were being worshiped by the foremost demigods.”
What the purport teaches
- One form was whitish and the other blackish. Both had four arms and eyes resembling blooming lotus petals.
- They wore black deerskin, bark and three-stranded sacred threads. Their purifying hands held waterpots, bamboo staffs, lotus-seed prayer beads and bundles of darbha grass representing the all-purifying Vedas.
- Their tall forms shone with yellow effulgence like radiant lightning. Appearing as austerity personified, They were worshiped by the foremost demigods.
Try this today
Reread the description slowly and spend one minute remembering Their lotus-like eyes.
Ask yourself
Which detail of these worshipable forms most draws your attention?
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.