Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 9.8.22
Āśraya· The supreme shelterLoving Service and Cleanliness Reveal the Lord
“My Lord, You are fully situated in everyone’s heart, but the living entities, covered by the material body, cannot see You, for they are influenced by the external energy, conducted by the three modes of material nature. Their intelligence being covered by sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa, they can see only the actions and reactions of these three modes of material nature. Because of the actions and reactions of the mode of ignorance, whether the living entities are awake or sleeping, they can see only the workings of material nature; they cannot see Your Lordship.”
What the purport teaches
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead is situated in everyone’s heart. Conditioned souls see only the actions and reactions of material nature because their intelligence is covered.
- Without transcendental loving service, one cannot understand the Lord. Devotional service is therefore essential, not merely external observation.
- Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches external cleanliness through bathing three times daily and internal cleanliness through chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. By following this principle, one may eventually see the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face.
Try this today
Set aside a few quiet minutes today to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.
Ask yourself
How much care do I give to cleansing my heart as well as my body?
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.