Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.15.16
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesPṛthu’s Power Represents the Supreme Lord
“Lord Brahmā presented King Pṛthu with a protective garment made of spiritual knowledge. Bhāratī [Sarasvatī], the wife of Brahmā, gave him a transcendental necklace. Lord Viṣṇu presented him with a Sudarśana disc, and Lord Viṣṇu’s wife, the goddess of fortune, gave him imperishable opulences.”
What the purport teaches
- Brahmā gave a protective garment made of spiritual knowledge, and Bhāratī gave a transcendental necklace. Lord Viṣṇu’s wife, the goddess of fortune, gave imperishable opulences.
- Hari, an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead known as Upendra in the heavenly planet, gave Pṛthu a Sudarśana disc.
- Kṛṣṇa, or Viṣṇu, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Pṛthu represented only part of His power. Pṛthu’s disc likewise represented partial power, not the same type of disc used by the Lord.
Try this today
Reread the purport and state in one sentence how Pṛthu’s disc differs from the Lord’s.
Ask yourself
Why is it important to distinguish Pṛthu’s represented power from the Supreme Lord’s original power?
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.