Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.26.40
Sthāna· The universe in orderRecognizing the Lord’s Material and Spiritual Forms
“My dear King, I have now described for you this planet earth, other planetary systems, and their lands [varṣas], rivers and mountains. I have also described the sky, the oceans, the lower planetary systems, the directions, the hellish planetary systems and the stars. These constitute the virāṭ-rūpa, the gigantic material form of the Lord, on which all living entities repose. Thus I have explained the wonderful expanse of the external body of the Lord.”
What the purport teaches
- The earth, planetary systems, rivers, mountains, oceans and stars constitute the virāṭ-rūpa, the Lord’s gigantic material form. This wonderful expanse is His external body, on which all living entities repose.
- The supplementary note explains that Ṛṣabhadeva is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His body is spiritual. His transcendental activities cannot be understood as ordinary material acts or imitated by a common person.
- Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose transcendental nature is not understood by those who consider His form ordinary and human. Ṛṣabhadeva showed the path of spiritual perfection; following His teachings, rather than imitating His extraordinary activities, keeps us directed toward devotional service.
Try this today
Today, look at the sky and recall that it belongs to the Lord’s external body. Then reread the explanation that His own form is spiritual, with a desire to understand and serve Him.
Ask yourself
How can I appreciate the Lord’s material creation without thinking that His own form is material?
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.