Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 7.9.31
Āśraya· The supreme shelterEverything Comes From the Supreme Lord
“My dear Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, the entire cosmic creation is caused by You, and the cosmic manifestation is an effect of Your energy. Although the entire cosmos is but You alone, You keep Yourself aloof from it. The conception of “mine and yours,” is certainly a type of illusion [māyā] because everything is an emanation from You and is therefore not different from You. Indeed, the cosmic manifestation is nondifferent from You, and the annihilation is also caused by You. This relationship between Your Lordship and the cosmos is illustrated by the example of the seed and the tree, or the subtle cause and the gross manifestation.”
What the purport teaches
- Kṛṣṇa is the supreme controller and the cause of all causes. Everything comes from Him, yet He remains separate from everything.
- The Lord and His energies are simultaneously one and different: acintya-bhedābheda-tattva. Like a seed becoming a tree with branches, leaves, flowers and fruits, His energy displays many varieties.
- The Lord is eternal and remains unchanged through time. An advanced devotee stays in Kṛṣṇa consciousness through happiness and distress, accepting even distress as His blessing.
Try this today
When a difficulty arises today, pause and try to receive it as an opportunity to remain in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Ask yourself
How could remembering the Lord help you remain steady in both happiness and distress?
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.