Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.19.18
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesRejoice in a Devotee’s Spiritual Progress
“Thus the King, Mahārāja Parīkṣit, sat to fast until death. All the demigods of the higher planets praised the King’s actions and in pleasure continually scattered flowers over the earth and beat celestial drums.”
What the purport teaches
- The demigods rejoiced at Mahārāja Parīkṣit’s determination to attain salvation, honoring him with flowers and celestial drums.
- Although their lives are more luxurious than human lives, the demigods obey the Supreme Lord. They take pleasure in seeing someone go back to Godhead.
- The demigods may help the Lord’s devotees, and this pleases the Lord. There is an invisible chain of cooperation between the Lord, the demigods and devotees on earth.
Try this today
Offer a sincere word of encouragement to someone making an effort in devotional service.
Ask yourself
How do you respond when you see someone making spiritual progress?
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.