Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.4.47
Āśraya· The supreme shelterThe Supreme Lord Is Eternally Personal
“Before the creation of this cosmic manifestation, I alone existed with My specific spiritual potencies. Consciousness was then unmanifested, just as one’s consciousness is unmanifested during the time of sleep.”
What the purport teaches
- Before creation, the Supreme Personality of Godhead existed as a person with His spiritual potencies. His person is the Absolute Truth in the past, present and future.
- The Lord can be understood only through bhakti-yoga, or devotional service. Speculative philosophical research and meditation alone cannot reveal Him.
- After annihilation, conditioned living entities remain asleep until the next creation, but the Lord does not sleep. He remains eternally in His original consciousness and spiritual body.
Try this today
Reread the translation slowly, remembering that the speaker is the eternal Supreme Person, not a temporary material form.
Ask yourself
How does knowing that the Lord is eternally a person shape my approach to devotional 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.