Srimad Bhagavatam — Shashtha Skandha, Shloka 46
Soma Pacifies the Pracetās; Dakṣa’s Haṁsa-guhya Prayers; Hari Grants Creative Power
तपो मे हृदयं ब्रह्मंस्तनुर्विद्या क्रियाकृति: । अङ्गानि क्रतवो जाता धर्म आत्मासव: सुरा: ॥ ४६ ॥
tapo me hṛdayaṁ brahmaṁs tanur vidyā kriyākṛtiḥ aṅgāni kratavo jātā dharma ātmāsavaḥ surāḥ
My dear brāhmaṇa, austerity in the form of meditation is My heart, Vedic knowledge in the form of hymns and mantras constitutes My body, and spiritual activities and ecstatic emotions are My actual form. The ritualistic ceremonies and sacrifices, when properly conducted, are the various limbs of My body, the unseen good fortune proceeding from pious or spiritual activities constitutes My mind, and the demigods who execute My orders in various departments are My life and soul.
Sometimes atheists argue that since God is invisible to their eyes, they do not believe in God. For them the Supreme Lord is describing a method by which one can see God in His impersonal form. Intelligent persons can see God in His personal form, as stated in the śāstras, but if one is very eager to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead immediately, face to face, he can see the Supreme Lord through this description, which portrays the various internal and external parts of His body.
FAQs
This verse presents tapas as the ‘heart’—the inner core—of a dharmic life, implying that self-discipline and restraint are central supports for spiritual progress and religious integrity.
Daksha frames his identity around Vedic duty: knowledge (vidyā) guides the body, while sacrificial rites (kratavaḥ) function like limbs—practical extensions through which dharma is enacted and maintained.
Adopt tapas as disciplined living, cultivate vidyā through scriptural study and reflection, and express ‘kriyā’ as consistent daily duties done ethically and devotionally—turning work into worship and life into a principled offering.