Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.22.9
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesService Opens Our Spiritual Vision
“Pṛthu Mahārāja continued: Although you are traveling in all planetary systems, people cannot know you, just as they cannot know the Supersoul, although He is within everyone’s heart as the witness of everything. Even Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva cannot understand the Supersoul.”
What the purport teaches
- Even great demigods can be bewildered about the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lord Brahmā and King Indra also mistook Kṛṣṇa when He was present on this planet.
- The Supersoul is within everyone’s heart, and pure devotees travel throughout the world. Yet those under the modes of material nature cannot properly understand the Lord or the Vaiṣṇavas.
- Material eyes alone cannot reveal the Supreme Personality of Godhead or a Vaiṣṇava. By purifying the senses and engaging in the Lord’s service, one gradually understands them.
Try this today
Use your voice today to read this teaching attentively as a small act of service to the Lord.
Ask yourself
Am I relying only on outward appearances when trying to recognize spiritual greatness?
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.