Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.2.34
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesMake Your Duties Worship of the Lord
“O Lord, during the time of maintenance You manifest several incarnations, all with transcendental bodies, beyond the material modes of nature. When You appear in this way, You bestow all good fortune upon the living entities by teaching them to perform Vedic activities such as ritualistic ceremonies, mystic yoga, austerities, penances, and ultimately samādhi, ecstatic absorption in thoughts of You. Thus You are worshiped by the Vedic principles.”
What the purport teaches
- Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, appears in a transcendental body beyond the material modes of nature. Out of causeless mercy, He teaches people how to rise to the spiritual platform.
- While performing all kinds of duties, one should remember that they are meant to satisfy the Supreme Lord. Even those advanced in spiritual realization should not give up prescribed duties, charity and austerity.
- In this Age of Kali, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught that chanting the Lord’s holy name is the only means of deliverance. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement therefore teaches people to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.
Try this today
Before one duty today, pause and remember that you want to perform it to satisfy Kṛṣṇa.
Ask yourself
How could you approach one of your daily duties as service meant to satisfy the Supreme Lord?
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.