Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 2.8.17
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesHear the Lord’s Activities With Discernment
“Please explain all the different ages in the duration of the creation, and also the duration of such ages. Also tell me about the different activities of the different incarnations of the Lord in different ages.”
What the purport teaches
- Lord Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead. All incarnations of the Supreme Lord are emanations from Him, though nondifferent from Him.
- An incarnation should be accepted through symptoms and activities described in authoritative scriptures and confirmed by an ācārya. Sentiment alone is not sufficient.
- The Lord descends by His internal energy, free from the obligations of material nature. Because the Lord and His activities are identical, hearing His activities brings direct association with Him and purification.
Try this today
Spend a few minutes attentively hearing or reading an account of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s activities in authoritative scripture.
Ask yourself
Do I seek scriptural confirmation rather than accept claims about the Lord merely through sentiment?
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.