Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 2.7.39
Āśraya· The supreme shelterCreation Offers a Chance for Liberation
“At the beginning of creation there are penance, myself [Brahmā] and the Prajāpatis, the great sages who generate; then, during the maintenance of the creation, there are Lord Viṣṇu, the demigods with controlling powers, and the kings of different planets. But at the end there is irreligion, and then Lord Śiva and the atheists full of anger, etc. All of them are different representative manifestations of the energy of the supreme power, the Lord.”
What the purport teaches
- The material world is created by the Lord’s energy. Its creation, maintenance and destruction involve different representative manifestations of His power.
- Viṣṇu is the Lord of goodness, Brahmā of passion, and Śiva of ignorance. Devotional service to Lord Viṣṇu is factual religion.
- This temporary creation gives conditioned souls a chance for liberation. Developing goodness under Lord Viṣṇu’s protection and following Vaiṣṇava principles leads toward His kingdom, without returning to material misery.
Try this today
Set aside five minutes today for devotional service to Lord Viṣṇu.
Ask yourself
How could you use your time today as an opportunity for devotional service?
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.