Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.7.51
Āśraya· The supreme shelterOne Supreme Origin, Different Activities and Names
“The Lord continued: My dear Dakṣa Dvija, I am the original Personality of Godhead, but in order to create, maintain and annihilate this cosmic manifestation, I act through My material energy, and according to the different grades of activity, My representations are differently named.”
What the purport teaches
- The whole world is energy released from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Living entities are His superior energy and are His parts and parcels.
- Living entities act under different qualities of material nature and receive different bodies. Their varied forms do not change their origin in the Supreme Lord.
- Brahmā acts for creation, Śiva for annihilation, and Viṣṇu controls goodness. These different names correspond to different activities, while the origin is one.
Try this today
When you notice a bodily difference between yourself and someone else, remember that both of you are parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord.
Ask yourself
How might remembering your spiritual origin change how you view bodily differences?
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.