Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.9.16
Āśraya· The supreme shelterThe Lord Is the Root of Everything
“Your Lordship is the prime root of the tree of the planetary systems. This tree has grown by first penetrating the material nature in three trunks — as me, Śiva and You, the Almighty — for creation, maintenance and dissolution, and we three have grown with many branches. Therefore I offer my obeisances unto You, the tree of the cosmic manifestation.”
What the purport teaches
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the root of the cosmic manifestation. Material nature is His energy and works only under His supervision.
- Viṣṇu, Brahmā and Śiva oversee maintenance, creation and destruction respectively. Viṣṇu is the Almighty and is not controlled by material nature, while Brahmā and Śiva are under its control.
- The material creation is like a reflected tree, whose original exists in eternal spiritual nature full of transcendental varieties. Lord Viṣṇu is the root of both, and Brahmā offers Him obeisances.
Try this today
Offer one respectful prayer to Lord Viṣṇu, acknowledging Him as the root of all creation.
Ask yourself
How might seeing the Lord as the root of everything deepen my respect for Him?
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.