Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 8.16.31
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesHonor the Lord Through Vedic Sacrifice
“I offer my respectful obeisances unto You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who have two heads [prāyaṇīya and udāyanīya], three legs [savana-traya], four horns [the four Vedas] and seven hands [the seven chandas, such as Gāyatrī]. I offer my obeisances unto You, whose heart and soul are the three Vedic rituals [karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa and upāsanā-kāṇḍa] and who expand these rituals in the form of sacrifice.”
What the purport teaches
- The prayer offers respectful obeisances to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. His two heads, three legs, four horns and seven hands represent aspects of Vedic worship.
- The four horns represent the four Vedas, and the seven hands represent the seven chandas, such as Gāyatrī.
- The three Vedic rituals—karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa and upāsanā-kāṇḍa—are described as His heart and soul. He expands these rituals in the form of sacrifice.
Try this today
Read the prayer slowly once, offering your respectful obeisances to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Ask yourself
How does this prayer help me see Vedic worship as centered on the Supreme Lord?
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.