Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.21.35
Āśraya· The supreme shelterDevelop Consciousness Through Spiritual Association
“The Supreme Personality of Godhead is all-pervading, but He is also manifested in different types of bodies which arise from a combination of material nature, time, desires and occupational duties. Thus different types of consciousness develop, just as fire, which is always basically the same, blazes in different ways according to the shape and dimension of firewood.”
What the purport teaches
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead lives with every individual soul as Paramātmā. Awareness differs according to the material body, just as the same fire appears differently according to the wood it burns.
- Human life offers the opportunity to develop consciousness through spiritually advanced association. The purport says that approaching a spiritual master is necessary, not optional, for understanding our true spiritual position.
- Bhakti-yoga is the highest step in realizing the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The saṅkīrtana movement is the direct and easiest process for reaching pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Try this today
Set aside a few minutes today to hear instruction from a spiritual master on devotional service.
Ask yourself
How is my present association helping me develop consciousness of the Supreme Lord?
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.