Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 2.7.43-45
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesThe Lord Becomes Known Through Surrender
“O Nārada, although the potencies of the Lord are unknowable and immeasurable, still, because we are all surrendered souls, we know how He acts through yoga-māyā potencies. And, similarly, the potencies of the Lord are also known to the all-powerful Śiva, the great king of the atheist family, namely Prahlāda Mahārāja, Svāyambhuva Manu, his wife Śatarūpā, his sons and daughters like Priyavrata, Uttānapāda, Ākūti, Devahūti and Prasūti, Prācīnabarhi, Ṛbhu, Aṅga the father of Vena, Mahārāja Dhruva, Ikṣvāku, Aila, Mucukunda, Mahārāja Janaka, Gādhi, Raghu, Ambarīṣa, Sagara, Gaya, Nāhuṣa, Māndhātā, Alarka, Śatadhanve, Anu, Rantideva, Bhīṣma, Bali, Amūrttaraya, Dilīpa, Saubhari, Utaṅka, Śibi, Devala, Pippalāda, Sārasvata, Uddhava, Parāśara, Bhūriṣeṇa, Vibhīṣaṇa, Hanumān, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, Arjuna, Ārṣṭiṣeṇa, Vidura, Śrutadeva, etc.”
What the purport teaches
- Surrendered devotees know how the Lord acts through His yoga-māyā potencies. They understand the potency of His name, qualities, pastimes and personality.
- Limited senses and material instruments cannot fully measure even the Lord’s material energies. Mental speculation alone cannot reveal His spiritual potency.
- One should learn by surrendering to the Lord and accepting the authority of His great devotees. By the grace of yoga-māyā, understanding grows in proportion to one’s surrender.
Try this today
Choose one teaching from this purport and read it again with a sincere desire to accept its guidance.
Ask yourself
How willing are you to learn from surrendered devotees rather than rely only on your own speculation?
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.