Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 8.12.40
Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protectionMaterial Nature Works Under the Lord’s Direction
“The material, external energy [māyā], who cooperates with Me in creation and who is manifested in the three modes of nature, will not be able to bewilder you any longer.”
What the purport teaches
- The Supreme Lord assured Lord Śiva that the external energy, manifested in the three modes of nature, would no longer bewilder him.
- Durgā, Lord Śiva’s wife, works in cooperation with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Material nature produces moving and unmoving beings under His direction.
- The cosmos is created by Durgā in cooperation with Lord Viṣṇu in the form of kāla, time. Although Lord Śiva associates with māyā, Lord Viṣṇu assured him of protection from her bewilderment.
Try this today
Observe one moving and one unmoving being today, and remember that material nature produces both under the Supreme Lord’s direction.
Ask yourself
How does knowing that material nature works under the Lord’s direction shape my understanding of His supremacy?
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.