Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 8.6.11
Āśraya· The supreme shelterThe Lord Directs Nature Yet Remains Untouched
“O Supreme, You are independent in Your self and do not take help from others. Through Your own potency, You create this cosmic manifestation and enter into it. Those who are advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, who are fully in knowledge of the authoritative śāstra, and who, through the practice of bhakti-yoga, are cleansed of all material contamination, can see with clear minds that although You exist within the transformations of the material qualities, Your presence is untouched by these qualities.”
What the purport teaches
- The material energy creates, maintains and destroys the cosmic manifestation under the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- The Lord enters the universe as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu but remains untouched by material qualities. His external energy works under His full control.
- Those well versed in Vedic knowledge and advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness can realize these truths. Through bhakti-yoga, their minds become cleansed of material contamination.
Try this today
Spend a few minutes rereading this teaching, remembering that the Lord directs material nature without being affected by it.
Ask yourself
How can studying authoritative śāstra support your practice of bhakti-yoga?
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.