Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.1.56
Āśraya· The supreme shelterCreation Is the Supreme Lord’s Real Energy
“The demigods said: Let us offer our respectful obeisances unto the transcendental Personality of Godhead, who created as His external energy this cosmic manifestation, which is situated in Him as the air and clouds are situated in space, and who has now appeared in the form of Nara-Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi in the house of Dharma.”
What the purport teaches
- The cosmic manifestation is the Lord’s universal form, an exhibition of His external energy. This energy is situated in Him, as air and clouds are situated in space.
- The Lord appeared as Nara-Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi in the house of Dharma, within the creation of His own energy. That energy is simultaneously one with and different from Him.
- Material varieties are temporary, but they are not false; they reflect spiritual varieties. They announce the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to whom the demigods offered their respects.
Try this today
Look at the sky today, remember that creation is the Supreme Lord’s energy, and offer Him your respects.
Ask yourself
How does seeing material variety as the Lord’s real energy change the way you regard the world?
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.