Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.15.9
Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protectionGrace and Devotion Beyond Charity
“Your respectable younger brother, who possesses the strength of ten thousand elephants, killed, by His grace, Jarāsandha, whose feet were worshiped by many kings. These kings had been brought for sacrifice in Jarāsandha’s Mahābhairava-yajña, but they were thus released. Later they paid tribute to Your Majesty.”
What the purport teaches
- Jarāsandha never refused charity to a brāhmaṇa and performed many sacrifices. Yet these acts did not place him on a par with devotional service.
- Kṛṣṇa wanted Jarāsandha killed while sparing his military men. He therefore went with Bhīma and Arjuna to arrange a fight with Jarāsandha alone.
- By Kṛṣṇa’s guidance and grace, Bhīma killed Jarāsandha and released the imprisoned kings. Feeling obliged to the Pāṇḍavas, those kings later paid tribute to Yudhiṣṭhira.
Try this today
Set aside a brief moment today specifically for devotional service, rather than counting another good deed as its substitute.
Ask yourself
Are you treating good deeds as a substitute for devotional service, or as something that should accompany it?
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.