Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.15.21
Āśraya· The supreme shelterAll Power Depends on Kṛṣṇa
“I have the very same Gāṇḍīva bow, the same arrows, the same chariot drawn by the same horses, and I use them as the same Arjuna to whom all the kings offered their due respects. But in the absence of Lord Kṛṣṇa, all of them, at a moment’s notice, have become null and void. It is exactly like offering clarified butter on ashes, accumulating money with a magic wand or sowing seeds on barren land.”
What the purport teaches
- Arjuna still had the same bow, arrows, chariot and horses, yet without Kṛṣṇa they became useless. His former resources could not preserve his power.
- All energies and powers come from Lord Kṛṣṇa. They act as long as He desires and cease when He withdraws them, like bulbs without electricity from a powerhouse.
- We should not become proud of borrowed powers. Human civilization and all its activities must be joined with the Lord’s supreme blessing.
Try this today
Before using one ability today, pause to acknowledge Kṛṣṇa as its source and intend to use it in His service.
Ask yourself
Which ability or resource do you tend to regard as entirely your own?
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.