Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.16.8
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesHear the Deathless Nectar
“As long as Yamarāja, who causes everyone’s death, is present here, no one shall meet with death. The great sages have invited the controller of death, Yamarāja, who is the representative of the Lord. Living beings who are under his grip should take advantage by hearing the deathless nectar in the form of this narration of the transcendental pastimes of the Lord.”
What the purport teaches
- The sages invited Yamarāja, the Lord's representative, so that no one would meet death while he remained at their gathering.
- Those under death's grip were urged to hear the nectar of the Lord's transcendental pastimes. This hearing offered a precious opportunity to seek eternal life.
- The purport recommends becoming accustomed to hearing the Lord's pastimes systematically from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. It presents this course of life as the surest remedy for freedom from death.
Try this today
Choose a regular time today and read or hear one passage of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam attentively.
Ask yourself
How can I make hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam a steady part of my life?
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.