Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.9.25
Āśraya· The supreme shelterFalse Independence Hides the Supreme Lord
“The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who created us by His external potency and by whose mercy we expand the creation of the universe, is always situated before us as the Supersoul, but we cannot see His form. We are unable to see Him because all of us think that we are separate and independent gods.”
What the purport teaches
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead created us by His external potency. Whatever we do to expand creation depends on His mercy.
- Although the Lord is present before us as the Supersoul, we cannot see His form because we think ourselves separate and independent controllers.
- Even when Lord Kṛṣṇa appears in human society, conditioned souls may mistake Him for an ordinary person. Thinking that we ourselves are God prevents us from understanding Him.
Try this today
Before one task today, pause and acknowledge that your ability to act depends on the Lord’s mercy.
Ask yourself
Where do I mistake my dependence on the Lord for independence?
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.