8.1 You dwell in every word—sound made sacred, text made alive

bhāgavater kathā se 

taba avatār

The Bhāgavatam’s message is your descent,

Through it your mercy is lovingly sent.

My dear Lord, Srila Prabhupada conveys a key truth about the expansive nature of your mercy: you descend not only in majestic humanlike forms such as Rama and Vamana, but also in your most subtle and sublime descent—your sonic avatar as the message of the Bhagavatam. You reveal yourself not just in sound but also in scripture. The sacred text of the Bhagavatam is itself your textual avatar. While traveling to America, Srila Prabhupada was carrying a trunk full of his translation and commentary in three volumes of the first canto of the Bhagavatam. Indeed, that was his firepower to blow illusion out of any receptive heart.

O merciful Lord, just as Srila Prabhupada felt your presence with him in the form of the Bhagavatam, let me similarly realize that your word is as potent as your form, and that through sound and scripture you offer your living presence. Grant me the faith to approach bhagavata-katha not as ordinary words, but as the descent of divinity itself into this darkened world.

May my ears and mind be purified by this avatar of your mercy, and may my soul rise toward you, the eternal sun, dispelling the shadows of illusion forever. And make me, O Lord, an instrument to share the potency and mercy of the Bhagavatam with others.