Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.7.29-30
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyRespect Everyone as the Lord’s Temple
“The ācārya, the spiritual master who teaches all the Vedic knowledge and gives initiation by offering the sacred thread, is the personification of all the Vedas. Similarly, a father personifies Lord Brahmā; a brother, King Indra; a mother, the planet earth; and a sister, mercy. A guest personifies religious principles, an invited guest personifies the demigod Agni, and all living entities personify Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
What the purport teaches
- The ācārya personifies all the Vedas. The verse also describes the different ways to respect family members and guests.
- One should see all living entities on the same level as oneself. No one should be neglected as inferior.
- Because Paramātmā is seated in everyone’s body, everyone should be respected as a temple of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Try this today
Give respectful attention to someone you might otherwise overlook, remembering Paramātmā within them.
Ask yourself
Is there someone I neglect because I consider them less important?
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.