Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.16.24
Āśraya· The supreme shelterKṛṣṇa Empowers Our Senses
“As iron has the power to burn when made red-hot in the association of fire, so the body, senses, living force, mind and intelligence, although merely lumps of matter, can function in their activities when infused with a particle of consciousness by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As iron cannot burn unless heated by fire, the bodily senses cannot act unless favored by the Supreme Brahman.”
What the purport teaches
- The body, senses, mind and intelligence are merely matter and have no independent power to act. Like iron heated by fire, they function through the Supreme Lord’s power.
- The consciousness of the small particle of Brahman depends fully on the Supreme Brahman. Memory, knowledge and forgetfulness come from the Lord.
- Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is called Hṛṣīkeśa, the conductor of the senses. Unless empowered by His energy, our senses cannot act.
Try this today
Before one activity today, pause and acknowledge that your ability to act depends on Kṛṣṇa.
Ask yourself
How might your use of your senses change if you remembered that Kṛṣṇa empowers them?
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.