Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 8.12.5
Āśraya· The supreme shelterThe Lord Remains Complete and Inexhaustible
“The manifest, the unmanifest, false ego and the beginning, maintenance and annihilation of this cosmic manifestation all come from You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But because You are the Absolute Truth, the supreme absolute spirit soul, the Supreme Brahman, such changes as birth, death and sustenance do not exist in You.”
What the purport teaches
- Everything emanates from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The ingredients of the cosmic manifestation are His energies.
- Although countless complete units emanate from Him, the Lord remains complete. He is called avyaya, changeless and inexhaustible.
- A clear understanding of the Absolute Truth requires accepting acintya-bhedābheda, simultaneous oneness and difference. Everything comes from the Lord, yet He remains the fully spiritual Supreme Brahman.
Try this today
Write one sentence in your own words explaining why the Lord remains complete.
Ask yourself
What does it mean to you that the Lord gives rise to everything without becoming diminished?
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.