Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.18.25
Āśraya· The supreme shelterThe Lord’s Incarnations Are Always Transcendental
“I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is pure transcendence. He is the origin of all life, bodily strength, mental power and sensory ability. Known as Matsyāvatāra, the gigantic fish incarnation, He appears first among all the incarnations. Again I offer my obeisances unto Him.”
What the purport teaches
- Lord Kṛṣṇa, Keśava, appeared as a gigantic fish to protect the Vedas when the universe was inundated. Manu therefore addresses Lord Matsya as the first incarnation to appear.
- Every incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is completely transcendental. Even when His form resembles an animal, His original transcendental quality never deteriorates.
- The Lord is the origin of life, bodily strength, mental power and sensory ability. Manu offers repeated respectful obeisances to Him as pure transcendence.
Try this today
Offer respectful obeisances to Lord Matsya today, remembering that His form is fully transcendental.
Ask yourself
Do I remember that the Lord’s incarnations are never material forms?
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.