Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 7.9.34
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesRecognize the Unseen Cause of Creation
“From that great lotus flower, Brahmā was generated, but Brahmā certainly could see nothing but the lotus. Therefore, thinking You to be outside, Lord Brahmā dove into the water and attempted to find the source of the lotus for one hundred years. He could find no trace of You, however, for when a seed fructifies, the original seed cannot be seen.”
What the purport teaches
- Brahmā searched for the lotus’s source for one hundred years but could not find the Lord. Like a seed that has fructified, the original cause was no longer visible.
- The purport compares creation to cotton becoming thread and thread becoming cloth. The original cause may be hidden within its developed effect.
- The Vedic literature explains that the Supreme Lord’s glance caused the agitation of material energy. Lord Viṣṇu must therefore be accepted as the supreme cause of all causes.
Try this today
Look at a piece of cloth and recall the cotton-and-thread example, then reflect on Lord Viṣṇu as creation’s unseen supreme cause.
Ask yourself
Does being unable to see the original cause mean that it is absent?
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.