Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.3.8
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesServe the Lord Through Your Work
“In the millennium of the ṛṣis, the Personality of Godhead accepted the third empowered incarnation in the form of Devarṣi Nārada, who is a great sage among the demigods. He collected expositions of the Vedas which deal with devotional service and which inspire nonfruitive action.”
What the purport teaches
- Devarṣi Nārada is an empowered incarnation of the Personality of Godhead who spreads devotional service throughout the universe. His Nārada-pañcarātra teaches this service.
- Fruitive work binds its performer to reactions, whether good or bad. Neither material prosperity nor material distress provides eternal happiness.
- Under expert spiritual direction, one's present work can become a path to liberation. Serving the Lord with the fruits of one's labor leads to naiṣkarmya, freedom from the bondage of work.
Try this today
Set aside a small part of today's earnings or effort for devotional service rather than personal enjoyment.
Ask yourself
How could the results of your daily work be used in the Lord's service?
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.