Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 8.16.30
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesHonor the Supreme Knower of All Elements
“I offer my respectful obeisances unto You, the Supreme Person. Being very subtle, You are never visible to material eyes. You are the knower of the twenty-four elements, and You are the inaugurator of the sāṅkhya-yoga system.”
What the purport teaches
- The Supreme Person is very subtle and cannot be seen by material eyes. The prayer offers Him respectful obeisances as the knower of the twenty-four elements.
- These elements are the five gross elements, three subtle elements, ten senses, five sense objects and contaminated consciousness.
- Lord Kapiladeva inaugurated sāṅkhya-yoga, which studies these elements. The system later propounded by another, atheistic Kapila is not accepted as bona fide.
Try this today
Read the prayer once with attention, offering respect to the Supreme Person as the knower of the twenty-four elements.
Ask yourself
How does this prayer invite me to honor the Supreme Person beyond what my eyes can see?
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.