Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.10.36
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesFollow the Lord’s Teaching, Not His Powers
“On His journey through these provinces He was welcomed, worshiped and given various presentations. In the evening, in all places, the Lord suspended His journey to perform evening rites. This was regularly observed after sunset.”
What the purport teaches
- The Lord regularly stopped His journey to perform evening rites. Although self-sufficient and free from obligatory duty, He followed scripture to teach others by His example.
- The Lord is not subject to the results of good or bad work; He awards those results. Because He is absolute, everything He does is good for everyone.
- We should follow His example of prayer, not imitate extraordinary acts such as lifting a mountain. The spiritual master, the Lord’s manifested mercy, should be consulted for guidance in all actions.
Try this today
Set aside a brief time after sunset today for evening prayer.
Ask yourself
Am I practicing the teachings I hope others will follow?
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.