Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.39.53-55
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesAll Gather to Worship the Lord
“Encircling the Lord and worshiping Him were Nanda, Sunanda and His other personal attendants; Sanaka and the other Kumāras; Brahmā, Rudra and other chief demigods; the nine chief brāhmaṇas; and the best of the saintly devotees, headed by Prahlāda, Nārada and Uparicara Vasu. Each of these great personalities was worshiping the Lord by chanting sanctified words of praise in his own unique mood. Also in attendance were the Lord’s principal internal potencies — Śrī, Puṣṭi, Gīr, Kānti, Kīrti, Tuṣṭi, Ilā and Ūrjā — as were His material potencies Vidyā, Avidyā and Māyā, and His internal pleasure potency, Śakti.”
What the purport teaches
- The Lord’s attendants, chief demigods, brāhmaṇas and saintly devotees surrounded and worshiped Him. Each offered sanctified words of praise in his own unique mood.
- Śrī, Puṣṭi, Gīr, Kānti, Kīrti and Tuṣṭi represent the Lord’s six opulences: wealth, strength, knowledge, beauty, fame and renunciation. Ilā is His bhū-śakti, and Ūrjā is His internal potency for performing pastimes, expanding as the tulasī plant in this world.
- Vidyā and Avidyā cause liberation and bondage, respectively, while Śakti is the Lord’s internal pleasure potency. The purport explains that Lord Viṣṇu was being served by all these personified potencies.
Try this today
Offer a short prayer praising the Lord for one of His six opulences.
Ask yourself
What does this gathering teach you about making worship and service to the Lord your goal?
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.