Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 8.5.50
Āśraya· The supreme shelterThe Lord Controls Yet Transcends Material Nature
“My Lord, all obeisances unto You, who are eternal, beyond time’s limits of past, present and future. You are inconceivable in Your activities, You are the master of the three modes of material nature, and, being transcendental to all material qualities, You are free from material contamination. You are the controller of all three of the modes of nature, but at the present You are in favor of the quality of goodness. Let us offer our respectful obeisances unto You.”
What the purport teaches
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead is eternal, beyond past, present and future. Even Lord Brahmā, who knows past, present and future, cannot understand the Lord’s unlimited knowledge.
- The Lord controls all three modes of material nature but remains free from their contamination. He personally takes charge of sattva-guṇa as Lord Viṣṇu and entrusts rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa to Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva.
- Because Lord Viṣṇu had now taken charge of the activities of goodness, Lord Brahmā saw hope that the demigods would fulfill their desires despite harassment by the demons. He offered respectful obeisances to the Lord, whose activities are inconceivable.
Try this today
Today, offer respectful obeisances to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, remembering that He controls material nature yet remains untouched by it.
Ask yourself
How can remembering that even Lord Brahmā cannot understand the Lord’s unlimited knowledge help me offer obeisances 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.