Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 2.1.35
Āśraya· The supreme shelterMatter and Animals Within the Lord’s Form
“The principle of matter [mahat-tattva] is the consciousness of the omnipresent Lord, as asserted by the experts, and Rudradeva is His ego. The horse, mule, camel and elephant are His nails, and wild animals and all quadrupeds are situated in the belt zone of the Lord.”
What the purport teaches
- The principle of matter, mahat-tattva, is described as the consciousness of the omnipresent Lord.
- Rudradeva is described as His ego. The horse, mule, camel and elephant are His nails.
- Wild animals and all quadrupeds are situated in the belt zone of the Lord. These descriptions place them within His gigantic form.
Try this today
Read the translation slowly once, remembering the animals it describes as situated within the Lord’s form.
Ask yourself
How does this description change the way you think about animals in relation to the Lord?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.