Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.14.20
Nirodha· Winding upBeauty and Happiness Seem to Depart
“The Deities seem to be crying in the temple, lamenting and perspiring. They seem about to leave. All the cities, villages, towns, gardens, mines and hermitages are now devoid of beauty and bereft of all happiness. I do not know what sort of calamities are now awaiting us.”
What the purport teaches
- The Deities in the temple seem to be crying, lamenting and perspiring. They seem about to leave.
- Cities, villages, towns, gardens, mines and hermitages are devoid of beauty and bereft of happiness.
- The speaker does not know what calamities await. His concern embraces both the temples and the places where people live and work.
Try this today
Reread the verse, noting the words “seem” and “I do not know” to distinguish appearances and uncertainty from definite claims.
Ask yourself
How does the loss of beauty and happiness deepen the speaker’s concern about what lies ahead?
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.