Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.15.2
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesVedic Knowledge Recognizes the Lord’s Empowerment
“The great sages were highly learned in Vedic knowledge. When they saw the male and female born of the arms of Vena’s body, they were very pleased, for they could understand that the couple was an expansion of a plenary portion of Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
What the purport teaches
- The sages were highly learned in Vedic knowledge, and the method they adopted was perfect. King Vena’s sinful reactions were removed through the birth of Bāhuka.
- After Vena’s body was purified, the male and female appeared. The sages were very pleased to recognize their connection with Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- The purport distinguishes this expansion from viṣṇu-tattva. It was a specifically empowered expansion of Lord Viṣṇu, known as āveśa.
Try this today
Write a short definition of āveśa using the purport’s words.
Ask yourself
What distinction does the purport make between a specifically empowered expansion and viṣṇu-tattva?
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.