Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 8.5.21
Āśraya· The supreme shelterThe Supreme Lord Shelters All Life
“Lord Brahmā said: I, Lord Śiva, all of you demigods, the demons, the living entities born of perspiration, the living beings born of eggs, the trees and plants sprouting from the earth, and the living entities born from embryos — all come from the Supreme Lord, from His incarnation of rajo-guṇa [Lord Brahmā, the guṇa-avatāra] and from the great sages [ṛṣis] who are part of me. Let us therefore go to the Supreme Lord and take shelter of His lotus feet.”
What the purport teaches
- Living beings appear through different kinds of birth, including embryos, perspiration, eggs and seeds.
- All living entities ultimately come from the Supreme Lord through His guṇa-avatāra and the great sages.
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the shelter of all living entities. Lord Brahmā therefore urges everyone to take shelter of His lotus feet.
Try this today
Offer a brief prayer asking for shelter at the Supreme Lord’s lotus feet.
Ask yourself
How does knowing that all living beings share the same ultimate shelter affect your outlook?
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.