Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.9.36
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesKṛṣṇa’s Knowledge Restores Our Eternal Relationship
“When Arjuna was seemingly polluted by ignorance upon observing the soldiers and commanders before him on the battlefield, the Lord eradicated his ignorance by delivering transcendental knowledge. May His lotus feet always remain the object of my attraction.”
What the purport teaches
- Arjuna’s reluctance to fight arose from compassion for his kinsmen, not fear of the opposing army. As a merciful devotee, he naturally felt renunciation toward worldly possessions.
- Arjuna’s intelligence only appeared polluted. His apparent confusion provided the occasion for Kṛṣṇa to deliver the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā for conditioned souls.
- Bhagavad-gītā frees us from wrongly identifying the body with the soul and reestablishes the soul’s eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord. Bhīṣmadeva therefore desires lasting attraction to His lotus feet.
Try this today
Reread the translation and pray for knowledge that strengthens your eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord.
Ask yourself
How might remembering that I am a soul, not the body, change what I seek from Kṛṣṇa?
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.