Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.6.42
Āśraya· The supreme shelterUnderstand Śiva’s Relationship With Viṣṇu
“Lord Brahmā said: My dear Lord Śiva, I know that you are the controller of the entire material manifestation, the combination father and mother of the cosmic manifestation, and the Supreme Brahman beyond the cosmic manifestation as well. I know you in that way.”
What the purport teaches
- Brahmā addressed Lord Śiva as the controller of the material manifestation and as beyond the cosmic manifestation.
- Although Śiva had offered him respectful obeisances, Brahmā knew that Śiva occupied a more exalted position than himself.
- In their original positions, Lord Śiva and Lord Viṣṇu are not different, yet Śiva is also different from Viṣṇu. The purport illustrates this with yogurt and the original milk from which it was made.
Try this today
Write one sentence explaining the milk-and-yogurt comparison without leaving out either similarity or difference.
Ask yourself
How does the milk-and-yogurt example help you hold both similarity and difference in mind?
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.