Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.17.31
Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protectionThe Earth Appeals for the Lord’s Protection
“In the beginning of creation You created all these moving and nonmoving living entities by Your inconceivable energy. Through this very same energy You are now prepared to protect the living entities. Indeed, You are the supreme protector of religious principles. Why are You so anxious to kill me, even though I am in the form of a cow?”
What the purport teaches
- The Lord created moving and nonmoving living entities through His inconceivable energy. Through that same energy, He is prepared to protect them.
- The earth acknowledges that the creator can also annihilate by His own will. Yet she asks why the protector of religious principles wishes to kill her in the form of a cow.
- The earth supports her appeal by pointing to her service to other living entities. She is their resting place and produces grains for them.
Try this today
Before eating today, pause to acknowledge the earth’s provision of grains and the Lord’s protection of living beings.
Ask yourself
What do I appreciate about the earth’s role in sheltering and feeding living 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.