Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 7.8.18
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesThe Lord’s Power Exceeds Our Calculations
“While Hiraṇyakaśipu looked all around to find the source of the sound, that wonderful form of the Lord, which could not be ascertained to be either a man or a lion, emerged from the pillar. In amazement, Hiraṇyakaśipu wondered, “What is this creature that is half man and half lion?””
What the purport teaches
- Seeing the Lord emerge from the pillar, Hiraṇyakaśipu wondered at His half-man, half-lion form. A demon cannot calculate the Supreme Lord’s unlimited potency.
- The Lord’s different potencies work as an automatic exhibition of His knowledge. He is all-powerful and can do whatever He likes.
- Those who regard Kṛṣṇa as an ordinary human being fail to understand His supreme potency. Hiraṇyakaśipu’s calculations of safety could not account for the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s wonderful form.
Try this today
Write one sentence acknowledging that Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is not limited by your calculations.
Ask yourself
Where do I limit my understanding of the Lord to what seems possible in ordinary experience?
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.