Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.11.14
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesPrepare Clean Spaces to Welcome the Lord
“The highways, subways, lanes, markets and public meeting places were all thoroughly cleansed and then moistened with scented water. And to welcome the Lord, fruits, flowers and unbroken seeds were strewn everywhere.”
What the purport teaches
- The highways, lanes, markets and public meeting places were thoroughly cleansed. Welcoming the Lord involved careful preparation of shared spaces.
- The streets were moistened with scented waters distilled from flowers such as rose and keora. Dvārakā-dhāma's many public places were beautifully decorated.
- Fruits, flowers and unbroken seeds of grain were strewn in public places to welcome the Lord. The purport explains that unbroken grain and fruits in the seedling stage were considered auspicious.
Try this today
Thoroughly clean one small place used for worship today as a way of welcoming the Lord.
Ask yourself
What does careful preparation reveal about my desire to welcome the Lord?
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.