Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.12.4
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyServing Kṛṣṇa Enables Care for Everyone
“Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī said: Emperor Yudhiṣṭhira administered generously to everyone during his reign. He was exactly like his father. He had no personal ambition and was freed from all sorts of sense gratification because of his continuous service unto the lotus feet of the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.”
What the purport teaches
- Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira’s continuous devotional service to Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa freed him from personal ambition and sense gratification. This service qualified him to administer the state generously.
- A ruler’s protection extends to every living being, including plants, birds and animals. All are parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord.
- Yudhiṣṭhira wanted those under his care to become devotees of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Serving the Lord benefits His parts and parcels, just as watering a tree’s root nourishes its leaves.
Try this today
Perform one act of care for a person, animal or plant today, remembering that each belongs to the Supreme Lord.
Ask yourself
How can service to Kṛṣṇa guide the way I care for those who depend on me?
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.