Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.2.40
Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protectionPray Humbly, Rather Than Demand
“O supreme controller, Your Lordship previously accepted incarnations as a fish, a horse, a tortoise, Narasiṁhadeva, a boar, a swan, Lord Rāmacandra, Paraśurāma and, among the demigods, Vāmanadeva, to protect the entire world by Your mercy. Now please protect us again by Your mercy by diminishing the disturbances in this world. O Kṛṣṇa, best of the Yadus, we respectfully offer our obeisances unto You.”
What the purport teaches
- In every incarnation, the Supreme Personality of Godhead has a particular mission. His appearance as Devakī’s son in the Yadu family also had a mission.
- The demigods remembered how the Lord had protected the world through His incarnations. Bowing before Kṛṣṇa, they asked Him to diminish the world’s disturbances.
- We cannot order the Supreme Personality of Godhead to do anything for us. We can offer our obeisances and pray for the removal of dangers.
Try this today
Offer Kṛṣṇa your obeisances and make one humble prayer for protection, without demanding an outcome.
Ask yourself
How can your prayers express devotion rather than demands?
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.