Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Ādi 6.79
Rudra’s Relationship with Lord Viṣṇu
“Rudra, who is an expansion of Sadāśiva and who appears in unlimited universes, is also a guṇāvatāra [qualitative incarnation] and is the ornament of all the demigods in the endless universes.”
What the purport teaches
- Rudra is an expansion of Sadāśiva and a guṇāvatāra, or qualitative incarnation. He appears in unlimited universes and is the ornament of all the demigods.
- Lord Śiva is an expansion of Lord Viṣṇu, yet in his capacity for annihilating creation he is also considered one of the living entities. As Hara, an expansion of Lord Viṣṇu, he is transcendental to the material qualities.
- The relationship between Viṣṇu and Lord Śiva is compared to milk and yogurt: they have the same ingredients but different functions. Sadāśiva in the Vaikuṇṭha planets is a direct expansion of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s form for pastimes.
Try this today
Write one sentence explaining the milk-and-yogurt comparison in your own words.
Ask yourself
How does the milk-and-yogurt comparison help you understand Lord Śiva’s relationship with Lord Viṣṇu?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport; the practice and question are plain words for trying the verse today.