Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.9.31
Mukti· LiberationKṛṣṇa’s Presence Removes Material Illusion
“By pure meditation, looking at Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, he at once was freed from all material inauspiciousness and was relieved of all bodily pains caused by the arrow wounds. Thus all the external activities of his senses at once stopped, and he prayed transcendentally to the controller of all living beings while quitting his material body.”
What the purport teaches
- Identification with the material body comes from forgetting our eternal relationship with the Lord. Kṛṣṇa is like the sun, and material illusion is like darkness that cannot remain in His presence.
- The soul and senses are originally pure; material contamination makes the senses impure. Through renewed contact with Lord Kṛṣṇa, Bhīṣmadeva became free from contamination and the pain of his arrow wounds.
- The Lord is the controller and benefactor of all living beings and provides their necessities. He supplied everything needed to fulfill Bhīṣmadeva’s transcendental desires as His devotee offered prayers.
Try this today
Offer a brief prayer to Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, acknowledging Him as your benefactor and remembering your eternal relationship with Him.
Ask yourself
How does remembering my eternal relationship with the Lord change how I see my body?
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.