Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.24.50
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesThe Lord’s Beautiful Form Is Personal
“The Lord’s abdomen is beautiful due to three ripples in the flesh. Being so round, His abdomen resembles the leaf of a banyan tree, and when He exhales and inhales, the movement of the ripples appears very, very beautiful. The coils within the navel of the Lord are so deep that it appears that the entire universe sprouted out of it and yet again wishes to go back.”
What the purport teaches
- The three ripples on the Lord’s abdomen move beautifully as He breathes. His deep, coiling navel further increases His bodily beauty.
- The universe is born from the lotus stem sprouting from the Lord’s navel, where Lord Brahmā sits to create. It appears that the universe wants to return there, attracted by the Lord’s beauty.
- These bodily details indicate the Personality of Godhead, whose beautiful form impersonalists cannot appreciate. Lord Śiva’s prayers describe Lord Viṣṇu, who is worshiped by both Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva.
Try this today
Reread the translation and pause to appreciate one beautiful feature of the Lord’s personal form.
Ask yourself
How does Lord Śiva’s description help you think of the Lord as a person rather than something formless?
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.