Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.8.30
Āśraya· The supreme shelterThe Lord Is Every Living Entity’s Abode
“Like a great mountain, the Lord stands as the abode for all moving and nonmoving living entities. He is the friend of the snakes because Lord Ananta is His friend. As a mountain has thousands of golden peaks, so the Lord was seen with the thousands of golden-helmeted hoods of Ananta-nāga; and as a mountain is sometimes filled with jewels, so also His transcendental body was fully decorated with valuable jewels. As a mountains is sometimes submerged in the ocean water, so the Lord is sometimes submerged in the water of devastation.”
What the purport teaches
- Like a great mountain, the Lord is the abode of all moving and nonmoving living entities. He is the friend of the snakes because Lord Ananta is His friend.
- Ananta-nāga’s thousands of golden-helmeted hoods resembled golden mountain peaks. The Lord’s transcendental body was fully decorated with valuable jewels.
- As a mountain may be submerged in ocean water, the Lord is sometimes submerged in the water of devastation.
Try this today
When you see a moving being and a plant today, remember that the Lord is the abode of both.
Ask yourself
What does it mean to me that the Lord is the abode of all moving and nonmoving beings?
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.