Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 8.7.30
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesVedic Literature Follows the Lord’s Glance
“O lord, your shadow is seen in irreligion, which brings about varieties of irreligious creations. The three modes of nature — goodness, passion and ignorance — are your three eyes. All the Vedic literatures, which are full of verses, are emanations from you because their compilers wrote the various scriptures after receiving your glance.”
What the purport teaches
- The prayer describes irreligion as the lord’s shadow. From it arise varieties of irreligious creations.
- The three modes of nature—goodness, passion and ignorance—are described as his three eyes.
- All Vedic literatures, full of verses, are described as emanations from him. Their compilers wrote the scriptures after receiving his glance.
Try this today
Reread this translation slowly, with respect for the divine source it attributes to Vedic literature.
Ask yourself
How might this account of the scriptures’ origin affect the care with which you read them?
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.