Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 7.1.25
Āśraya· The supreme shelterKṛṣṇa’s Correction Is Also Mercy
“Because of the bodily conception of life, the conditioned soul thinks that when the body is annihilated the living being is annihilated. Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the supreme controller, the Supersoul of all living entities. Because He has no material body, He has no false conception of “I and mine.” It is therefore incorrect to think that He feels pleasure or pain when blasphemed or offered prayers. This is impossible for Him. Thus He has no enemy and no friend. When He chastises the demons it is for their good, and when He accepts the prayers of the devotees it is for their good. He is affected neither by prayers nor by blasphemy.”
What the purport teaches
- Bodily identification leads the conditioned soul to think that everything ends when the body dies. Kṛṣṇa has no such conception, and His body is nondifferent from Himself.
- Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is always spiritually conscious and blissful, without material deficiencies. As Paramātmā, He is present in everyone’s heart yet remains free from bodily identification.
- The Lord’s punishment is for the conditioned soul’s good, not a reaction to personal hurt. He stops the soul’s habit of blasphemy and, when the soul becomes completely pure, takes that soul back to Godhead.
Try this today
Respectfully chant Kṛṣṇa’s name today, remembering His kindness toward all living entities.
Ask yourself
How does this teaching challenge my tendency to imagine Kṛṣṇa reacting like a conditioned person?
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.