Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 7.15.59
Mukti· LiberationThe Lord Accepts Service Through His Deity
“In this world there are five elements — namely earth, water, fire, air and ether — but the body is not a reflection of them, nor a combination or transformation of them. Because the body and its ingredients are neither distinct nor amalgamated, all such theories are insubstantial.”
What the purport teaches
- Everything is an expansion of Kṛṣṇa's energy. The Supreme Personality of Godhead and His energies exist simultaneously, so He is one with everything and different from everything.
- Theories that the soul is a combination of matter, that matter is a transformation of the soul, or that the body is part of the soul are insubstantial.
- Worshiping ordinary stone or wood gives no spiritual result, but worshiping the Lord's Deity does. The Lord can appear through His energy to accept service from His devotee.
Try this today
Read the purport's explanation of Deity worship once more, and state the distinction in your own words.
Ask yourself
How does this explanation help me distinguish Deity worship from worshiping ordinary matter?
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.