Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.16.18-19
Āśraya· The supreme shelterKṛṣṇa’s Spiritual Form Is Knowledge and Bliss
“[Nārada gave Citraketu the following mantra.] O Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, who are addressed by the oṁkāra [praṇava], I offer my respectful obeisances unto You. O Lord Vāsudeva, I meditate upon You. O Lord Pradyumna, Lord Aniruddha and Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa, I offer You my respectful obeisances. O reservoir of spiritual potency, O supreme bliss, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You, who are self-sufficient and most peaceful. O ultimate truth, one without a second, You are realized as Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān and are therefore the reservoir of all knowledge. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.”
What the purport teaches
- Oṁkāra is a symbolic representation of the Supreme Lord in sound. His many forms are nondifferent and infallible; they do not fall into material illusion.
- Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has no difference between His body and His soul. His form is full of knowledge and transcendental bliss, unlike a conditioned soul’s material body.
- The Lord is self-sufficient and free from anxiety; He needs no external source of enjoyment. A devotee is satisfied simply in serving the fully blissful Lord.
Try this today
Slowly offer the prayer “Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya,” remembering that the Lord’s form is full of knowledge and bliss.
Ask yourself
How might remembering the Lord’s self-sufficiency help me seek satisfaction in His service?
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.