Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.18.30
Āśraya· The supreme shelterThe Lord Is Present Everywhere
“O my Lord, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You, who have assumed the form of a tortoise. You are the reservoir of all transcendental qualities, and being entirely untinged by matter, You are perfectly situated in pure goodness. You move here and there in the water, but no one can discern Your position. Therefore I offer my respectful obeisances unto You. Because of Your transcendental position, You are not limited by past, present and future. You are present everywhere as the shelter of all things, and therefore I offer my respectful obeisances unto You again and again.”
What the purport teaches
- The Lord’s tortoise form is entirely untouched by matter and situated in pure goodness. He is not limited by past, present or future.
- The Lord always remains in Goloka, the topmost planet in the spiritual world, while also being all-pervading. This is possible for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who possesses all opulences.
- Kṛṣṇa is seated in everyone’s heart, and remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness come from Him. Although He is everywhere, ordinary eyes cannot see Him.
Try this today
Pause for a moment and offer respectful obeisances to the Lord as the shelter of everything.
Ask yourself
How might remembering the Lord’s presence in everyone’s heart change my outlook today?
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.