Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 8.21.1
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesThe Lord’s Glory Surpasses Brahmā’s
“Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: When Lord Brahmā, who was born of a lotus flower, saw that the effulgence of his residence, Brahmaloka, had been reduced by the glaring effulgence from the toenails of Lord Vāmanadeva, he approached the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lord Brahmā was accompanied by all the great sages, headed by Marīci, and by yogīs like Sanandana, but in the presence of that glaring effulgence, O King, even Lord Brahmā and his associates seemed insignificant.”
What the purport teaches
- The effulgence from Lord Vāmanadeva’s toenails outshone the light of Brahmaloka, Lord Brahmā’s residence.
- Lord Brahmā approached the Supreme Personality of Godhead with great sages headed by Marīci and yogīs like Sanandana.
- Even Lord Brahmā and his great associates seemed insignificant before the Lord’s glaring effulgence.
Try this today
Offer a brief prayer acknowledging the Lord’s greatness and your small position.
Ask yourself
How does Brahmā’s position before the Lord help me approach Him with humility?
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.