Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.17.21
Āśraya· The supreme shelterWorship the Lord of Unlimited Strength
“Lord Śiva continued: All the great sages accept the Lord as the source of creation, maintenance and destruction, although He actually has nothing to do with these activities. Therefore the Lord is called unlimited. Although the Lord in His incarnation as Śeṣa holds all the universes on His hoods, each universe feels no heavier than a mustard seed to Him. Therefore, what person desiring perfection will not worship the Lord?”
What the purport teaches
- The great sages accept the Lord as the source of creation, maintenance and destruction, although He has nothing to do with these activities. He is unlimited.
- Śeṣa, also known as Ananta, is an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He possesses unlimited strength, fame, wealth, knowledge, beauty and renunciation.
- Innumerable universes rest on Ananta’s thousands of hoods, yet they feel no heavier than mustard seeds. The verse invites anyone desiring perfection to worship this unlimited Lord.
Try this today
Spend one minute reflecting on Ananta supporting the universes, then offer Him a brief prayer of worship.
Ask yourself
How does the image of universes weighing no more than mustard seeds deepen my appreciation of 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.