Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.12.7
Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protectionThe Lord Reaches His Helpless Devotee
“O son of Bhṛgu [Śaunaka], when the child Parīkṣit, the great fighter, was in the womb of his mother, Uttarā, and was suffering from the burning heat of the brahmāstra [thrown by Aśvatthāmā], he could observe the Supreme Lord coming to him.”
What the purport teaches
- The living being receives a particular body according to past actions. Within the confinement of the womb, one may fortunately pray to the Lord for release.
- Parīkṣit suffered the burning heat of Aśvatthāmā’s brahmāstra while still in Uttarā’s womb. Because he was a devotee, the Lord appeared there by His all-powerful energy.
- The child could see that someone had come to save him. Even in that helpless condition, he endured the unbearable heat because he was a great fighter by nature.
Try this today
Take a quiet moment today to offer the Lord a sincere prayer about a difficulty you cannot manage alone.
Ask yourself
What does the Lord’s appearance in the womb teach me about turning to Him in helplessness?
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.