Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 8.1.3
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesThe Eternal Lord Is Unlimited
“O learned brāhmaṇa, kindly describe to us whatever activities the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who created this cosmic manifestation, has performed in the past manvantaras, is performing at present, and will perform in the future manvantaras.”
What the purport teaches
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead and the living entities exist in the past, present and future. Both are eternal and sentient.
- The Lord is unlimited, whereas the living entities are limited. He is the creator of everything, but the living entities themselves exist eternally with Him.
- The living entity's body is created, but the Supreme Lord's body is never created. The conditioned soul differs from his body, whereas the Lord and His body are one.
Try this today
Spend one quiet minute reflecting: “I am eternal but limited; the Supreme Lord is eternal and unlimited.”
Ask yourself
How does knowing that I am different from my body change my view of myself?
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.