Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.31.15
Āśraya· The supreme shelterEverything Comes From and Returns to Kṛṣṇa
“During the rainy season, water is generated from the sun, and in due course of time, during the summer season, the very same water is again absorbed by the sun. Similarly, all living entities, moving and inert, are generated from the earth, and again, after some time, they all return to the earth as dust. Similarly, everything emanates from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and in due course of time everything enters into Him again.”
What the purport teaches
- Everything emanates from the Supreme Personality of Godhead and enters into Him again. The verse illustrates this through water returning to the sun and earthly bodies returning to dust.
- The Brahman effulgence consists of transcendental rays from Kṛṣṇa’s body, and everything exists within those rays. The entire cosmic manifestation is a display of His energy.
- When Kṛṣṇa manifests His material energy, creation becomes visible; when He withdraws it, everything vanishes. Creation and dissolution occur through the breathing of Mahā-Viṣṇu, a plenary portion of Kṛṣṇa.
Try this today
Look at a plant or some water today and remember its dependence on Kṛṣṇa’s energy; then offer Him a brief prayer of worship.
Ask yourself
How does seeing the world as Kṛṣṇa’s energy deepen my desire to worship Him?
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.