Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.20.36
Mukti· LiberationSpiritual Teachers Speak According to Divine Desire
“During this season the mountains sometimes released their pure water and sometimes did not, just as experts in transcendental science sometimes give the nectar of transcendental knowledge and sometimes do not.”
What the purport teaches
- During autumn, mountains sometimes release pure water and sometimes do not.
- Similarly, great saintly teachers sometimes speak expansively on spiritual knowledge and sometimes remain silent.
- A self-realized soul is closely in touch with the Supreme Soul. Such a teacher describes the Absolute Truth according to His desires and the specific circumstances.
Try this today
Before discussing spiritual knowledge today, pause to consider whether the circumstances favor speaking or listening quietly.
Ask yourself
How does this verse help you appreciate both a spiritual teacher’s words and silence?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.