Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.5.36
Sarga· CreationMaterial Changes Depend on the Lord
“Thereafter the water produced from electricity was glanced over by the Supreme Personality of Godhead and mixed with eternal time and external energy. Thus it was transformed into the earth, which is qualified primarily by smell.”
What the purport teaches
- Water produced from electricity transforms into earth through the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s glance, eternal time and external energy. Earth is qualified primarily by smell.
- As the elements combine, their qualities increase: sky has sound; air adds touch; electricity adds form; water adds taste; and earth adds smell.
- These mixtures do not take place automatically, just as colors do not mix themselves without a painter. The workings of the physical elements take place under the Lord’s supervision.
Try this today
Notice the smell of some earth today and recall that its qualities and formation depend on the Lord’s glance.
Ask yourself
When I notice changes in nature, do I also remember the Lord’s supervision?
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.