Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.1.13
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesKṛṣṇa-kathā Nourishes the Spirit Soul
“Because of my vow on the verge of death, I have given up even drinking water, yet because I am drinking the nectar of topics about Kṛṣṇa, which is flowing from the lotus mouth of your Lordship, my hunger and thirst, which are extremely difficult to bear, cannot hinder me.”
What the purport teaches
- Although Mahārāja Parīkṣit was fasting as he prepared to meet death, hunger and thirst did not hinder his hearing. Topics about Kṛṣṇa were nectar to him.
- Every living being is a spirit soul and needs spiritual food. The purport describes the world as suffering from spiritual thirst and unaware of the nectar of kṛṣṇa-kathā.
- Hearing kṛṣṇa-kathā from a realized soul like Śukadeva Gosvāmī is necessary to relish this nectar. Such hearing diminishes material desires and leads toward freedom from repeated birth and death.
Try this today
Spend five minutes attentively reading Śukadeva Gosvāmī’s teachings about Kṛṣṇa.
Ask yourself
How much attention do you give to your need for spiritual nourishment?
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.