Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.6.36
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesHonor Śiva Without Imitating His Appearance
“He was seated on a deerskin and was practicing all forms of austerity. Because his body was smeared with ashes, he looked like an evening cloud. On his hair was the sign of a half-moon, a symbolic representation.”
What the purport teaches
- Lord Śiva sat on a deerskin, practicing austerity, with ashes on his body and a half-moon on his hair.
- Although Lord Śiva is the number one Vaiṣṇava, his outward symptoms of austerity are not exactly those of a Vaiṣṇava. He exhibits this feature for people who cannot follow Vaiṣṇava principles.
- Some followers of Lord Śiva imitate his dress and indulge in smoking or intoxicants. Such practices are never accepted by followers of Vaiṣṇava rituals.
Try this today
Write one sentence distinguishing Lord Śiva’s exalted devotional position from the outward practices described here.
Ask yourself
How can you distinguish honoring Lord Śiva from imitating practices that Vaiṣṇavas do not accept?
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.