Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.9.16
Āśraya· The supreme shelterDevotion Brings Us Closer to the Lord
“My dear Lord, in Your impersonal manifestation of Brahman there are always two opposing elements — knowledge and ignorance. Your multi-energies are continually manifest, but the impersonal Brahman, which is undivided, original, changeless, unlimited and blissful, is the cause of the material manifestation. Because You are the same impersonal Brahman, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.”
What the purport teaches
- The unlimited impersonal Brahman is the effulgence of Govinda’s transcendental body. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the original cause of all causes.
- Impersonal Brahman realization is a partial, distant understanding of the Absolute Truth. Although Brahman appears devoid of energy, different energies of knowledge and ignorance work within it.
- The more we develop devotional service, the more closely we approach the Absolute Truth. Advanced devotees understand the Lord’s personal features, energies and transcendental pastimes.
Try this today
Offer respectful obeisances to the Lord, remembering that His impersonal effulgence comes from His transcendental person.
Ask yourself
Am I seeking only an abstract understanding of truth, or also a personal relationship of service to the Lord?
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.