Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.20.46
Sthāna· The universe in orderThe Sun Sustains Life and Sight
“All living entities, including demigods, human beings, animals, birds, insects, reptiles, creepers and trees, depend upon the heat and light given by the sun-god from the sun planet. Furthermore, it is because of the sun’s presence that all living entities can see, and therefore he is called dṛg-īśvara, the Personality of Godhead presiding over sight.”
What the purport teaches
- All living entities depend upon the sun’s heat and light, and its presence enables them to see. The sun-god is therefore called dṛg-īśvara, the Personality of Godhead presiding over sight.
- The purport describes the sun as the life and soul of this universe, worshiped through the Gāyatrī mantra. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the life and soul of the entire creation, which contains innumerable universes.
- Kṛṣṇa first instructed Bhagavad-gītā to the sun-god, so the purport explains that the sun is not vacant. Its predominating deity is Vairāja, or Vivasvān, and its inhabitants have bodies suitable for that fiery planet.
Try this today
Notice one plant and one animal sustained by sunlight, and pause to appreciate the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the life and soul of the entire creation.
Ask yourself
How can recognizing my dependence on sunlight deepen my appreciation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the life and soul of creation?
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.