Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.20.18
Visarga· Brahmā's creationIgnorance Covers Our Identity as Servants
“First of all, Brahmā created from his shadow the coverings of ignorance of the conditioned souls. They are five in number and are called tāmisra, andha-tāmisra, tamas, moha and mahā-moha.”
What the purport teaches
- Brahmā created five coverings of ignorance from his shadow. Tāmisra is anger or envy through which the soul forgets its position as the Lord’s eternal servant and seeks to enjoy like Him.
- Andha-tāmisra is the belief that death ends everything. It arises from tamas, ignorance of the spirit soul and identification of the self with the body.
- Moha is the illusion that “I am this body, and everything belonging to this body is mine,” which strengthens attachment and conflict. Mahā-moha is madness for material enjoyment.
Try this today
When a possessive thought arises today, pause and remind yourself, “I am an eternal servant of the Supreme Lord.”
Ask yourself
Which bodily attachment most distracts me from my identity as the Lord’s eternal servant?
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.