Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.19.4
Āśraya· The supreme shelterDevotional Love Reveals the Lord’s Spiritual Form
“The Lord, whose pure form [sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha] is uncontaminated by the modes of material nature, can be perceived by pure consciousness. In the Vedānta He is described as being one without a second. Because of His spiritual potency, He is untouched by the contamination of material nature, and because He is not subjected to material vision, He is known as transcendental. He has no material activities, nor has He a material form or name. Only in pure consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, can one perceive the transcendental form of the Lord. Let us be firmly fixed at the lotus feet of Lord Rāmacandra, and let us offer our respectful obeisances unto those transcendental lotus feet.”
What the purport teaches
- Kṛṣṇa is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Lord Rāmacandra is not different from Him. Rāmacandra is unaffected by the modes of material nature.
- The Lord cannot be seen with material eyes; He can be perceived by those saturated with devotional service. Pure consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, reveals His transcendental form.
- Having no material name or form does not mean that the Lord has no personal identity. His identity is transcendental, and His name and He Himself are one and the same.
Try this today
Offer a short prayer at Lord Rāmacandra’s lotus feet, asking to become firmly fixed in loving devotional service.
Ask yourself
Am I approaching the Lord through devotional service rather than judging Him by material appearances?
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.