Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.4.33
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesRespect the Spiritual Master's Representative
“At the auspicious arrival of Śrī Nārada, Śrī Vyāsadeva got up respectfully and worshiped him, giving him veneration equal to that given to Brahmājī, the creator.”
What the purport teaches
- At Śrī Nārada’s auspicious arrival, Śrī Vyāsadeva rose respectfully and worshiped him with the same honor given to Brahmājī.
- Brahmā is the original student and teacher of the Vedas. He learned them from Śrī Kṛṣṇa and first taught Nārada, the second ācārya in the spiritual disciplic succession.
- Nārada is respected like Brahmā because he is Brahmā’s representative. Similarly, successive disciples in the chain are equally respected as representatives of the original spiritual master.
Try this today
Today, pause before studying spiritual teachings and offer a respectful prayer of gratitude to the teachers who have passed down knowledge from Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Ask yourself
How can understanding whom a spiritual teacher represents deepen my respect for that teacher?
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.