Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.1.5-7
Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protectionTake shelter of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet
“Taking the boat of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, my grandfather Arjuna and others crossed the ocean of the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, in which such commanders as Bhīṣmadeva resembled great fish that could very easily have swallowed them. By the mercy of Lord Kṛṣṇa, my grandfathers crossed this ocean, which was very difficult to cross, as easily as one steps over the hoofprint of a calf. Because my mother surrendered unto Lord Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, the Lord, Sudarśana-cakra in hand, entered her womb and saved my body, the body of the last remaining descendant of the Kurus and the Pāṇḍavas, which was almost destroyed by the fiery weapon of Aśvatthāmā. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, appearing within and outside of all materially embodied living beings by His own potency in the forms of eternal time — that is, as Paramātmā and as virāṭ-rūpa — gave liberation to everyone, either as cruel death or as life. Kindly enlighten me by describing His transcendental characteristics.”
What the purport teaches
- For one who accepts the boat of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, the ocean of material existence becomes like the water in a calf’s hoofprint. Taking shelter of Him brings the safest protection.
- Remembering how Kṛṣṇa had protected his family and himself, Parīkṣit Mahārāja chose to think of Him constantly during his last days. Remembering Kṛṣṇa at death makes life successful.
- Kṛṣṇa appears by His own internal energy to favor conditioned souls, not because He is forced to take birth. One who renders service to Him is situated in one’s original spiritual identity, the highest perfection of human life.
Try this today
Take one quiet minute today to remember Kṛṣṇa and ask for shelter at His lotus feet.
Ask yourself
How can gratitude for Kṛṣṇa’s mercy strengthen your desire to remember and serve Him?
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.