Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.13.41
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesThe Lord’s Beauty in Sustaining the Earth
“O Lord, as the peaks of great mountains become beautiful when decorated with clouds, Your transcendental body has become beautiful because of Your lifting the earth on the edge of Your tusks.”
What the purport teaches
- The earth on the Lord’s tusks beautifies His transcendental body, just as clouds decorate the peaks of great mountains.
- The word vibhramaḥ means both “illusion” and “beauty.” The Lord has no need to sustain the earth on His tusks, yet His doing so makes the world beautiful.
- The Lord is the transcendental personification of the Vedic hymns. His appearance to sustain the earth adds to His beauty, as do His pure devotees on earth.
Try this today
Read the translation slowly once, contemplating the beauty of the Lord holding the earth on His tusks.
Ask yourself
How does this description help me appreciate the Lord’s beauty in caring for the earth?
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.