Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 2.6.43-45
Āśraya· The supreme shelterRecognize the Lord Beyond His Powers
“I myself [Brahmā], Lord Śiva, Lord Viṣṇu, great generators of living beings like Dakṣa and Prajāpati, yourselves [Nārada and the Kumāras], heavenly demigods like Indra and Candra, the leaders of the Bhūrloka planets, the leaders of the earthly planets, the leaders of the lower planets, the leaders of the Gandharva planets, the leaders of the Vidyādhara planets, the leaders of the Cāraṇaloka planets, the leaders of the Yakṣas, Rakṣas and Uragas, the great sages, the great demons, the great atheists and the great spacemen, as well as the dead bodies, evil spirits, satans, jinn, kūṣmāṇḍas, great aquatics, great beasts and great birds, etc. — in other words, anything and everything which is exceptionally possessed of power, opulence, mental and perceptual dexterity, strength, forgiveness, beauty, modesty, opulence, and breeding, whether in form or formless — may appear to be the specific truth and the form of the Lord, but actually they are not so. They are only a fragment of the transcendental potency of the Lord.”
What the purport teaches
- Extraordinary power, beauty, strength and intelligence display only fragments of the Supreme Lord’s potencies. A powerful manifestation should not be mistaken for the Supreme Lord Himself.
- Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the original Almighty Lord from whom these powers come. Worshiping Him includes worshiping all those mentioned, because He includes everyone.
- The Lord is not formless, nor is His transcendental form one of the material forms within our experience. When He descends, we should not mistake Him for an ordinary being.
Try this today
Notice one example of beauty or strength today, and remember it as a fragment of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s potency rather than something independent of Him.
Ask yourself
When something powerful or beautiful impresses me, do I remember the Lord from whom its power comes?
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.