Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.3.22
Mukti· LiberationHonor the Lord Within Others
“My dear young wife, certainly friends and relatives offer mutual greetings by standing up, welcoming one another and offering obeisances. But those who are elevated to the transcendental platform, being intelligent, offer such respects to the Supersoul, who is sitting within the body, not to the person who identifies with the body.”
What the purport teaches
- An elevated person offers greetings and obeisances to the Supersoul within the heart, not to bodily identity.
- Among Vaiṣṇavas, a spiritual master returns a disciple’s obeisances because both offer respect to the Supersoul. A Vaiṣṇava sees the body as a temple of Viṣṇu.
- Offering respect to a devotee is more valuable to the Lord than offering respect directly to Him. Lord Śiva had already honored the Supersoul in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, so his respect to Dakṣa was already performed.
Try this today
When greeting someone today, consciously remember the Supersoul within that person’s heart.
Ask yourself
How would remembering the Supersoul change the way I greet others?
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.