Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.17.24
Āśraya· The supreme shelterSurrender to Kṛṣṇa to Cross Beyond Māyā
“The illusory energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead binds all of us conditioned souls to this material world. Therefore, without being favored by Him, persons like us cannot understand how to get out of that illusory energy. Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the Lord, who is the cause of creation and annihilation.”
What the purport teaches
- Conditioned souls mistake the body for the self and wander through different species of life. Entangled in fruitive activities, they struggle with the senses, including the mind.
- The living entity is eternal, while the body is a machine made by material nature under the Supreme Lord’s direction. Nature does not act independently; the Supreme Personality of Godhead operates it.
- Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, teaches that His illusory energy is difficult to overcome, but those who surrender to Him can cross beyond it. Understanding Him as the cause of all causes leads to surrender, rather than continued material entanglement.
Try this today
Offer Kṛṣṇa a short prayer today, asking for His grace to overcome māyā and surrender to Him in devotional service.
Ask yourself
How might remembering that I am not the body change the way I turn to Kṛṣṇa for shelter?
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.