Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.16.21
Āśraya· The supreme shelterThe Spiritual Lord Transcends Material Conceptions
“The words and mind of the conditioned soul cannot approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for material names and forms are not applicable to the Lord, who is entirely spiritual, beyond the conception of gross and subtle forms. The impersonal Brahman is another of His forms. May He, by His pleasure, protect us.”
What the purport teaches
- The conditioned soul’s words and mind cannot approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Material names and forms do not apply to Him.
- The Lord is entirely spiritual, beyond gross and subtle material forms. This does not mean that He has a material form hidden from ordinary sight.
- The purport identifies impersonal Brahman as the Lord’s effulgence. The prayer asks that the Lord, by His pleasure, protect us.
Try this today
Offer the simple prayer “May You, by Your pleasure, protect us,” remembering that the Lord is entirely spiritual.
Ask yourself
Where might my understanding of the Lord still depend on material comparisons?
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.