Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.4.16
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesThe Lord’s Activities Are Transcendental
“My Lord, even the learned sages become disturbed in their intelligence when they see that Your Greatness engages in fruitive work although You are free from all desires, that You take birth although You are unborn, that You flee out of fear of the enemy and take shelter in a fort although You are the controller of invincible time, and that You enjoy householder life surrounded by many women although You enjoy in Your Self.”
What the purport teaches
- The Lord’s pastimes can appear contradictory: He takes birth although unborn and acts although free from desire. Such appearances can bewilder even learned scholars.
- The solution is that the Lord has nothing to do with anything mundane. The Personality of Godhead is the Supreme Brahman, full of transcendental activities.
- Devotees do not need complete knowledge of the Lord to find satisfaction. Hearing and chanting about His transcendental pastimes gives them transcendental bliss.
Try this today
Read one example of the Lord’s activities from this verse and remember that His activities are transcendental, not mundane.
Ask yourself
Can I hear about the Lord with devotion even when I do not fully understand His activities?
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.