Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 8.24.6
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesThe Lord Is Always Transcendental
“Like the air passing through different types of atmosphere, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, although appearing sometimes as a human being and sometimes as a lower animal, is always transcendental. Because He is above the material modes of nature, He is unaffected by higher and lower forms.”
What the purport teaches
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead controls material nature and its laws. He therefore cannot come under their influence.
- Like air passing through different places, the Lord is not affected by material qualities. Whether He appears as a human being or a lower animal, He remains all-good and all-auspicious.
- Ordinary living beings are affected by material nature, but the Lord is not. To consider Him an ordinary living being shows ignorance of His transcendental qualities.
Try this today
Pause while reading today and recall: the Supreme Lord controls material nature and is never subject to it.
Ask yourself
Does the outward appearance of the Lord’s incarnation distract you from His transcendental nature?
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.