Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.66.41
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesWorldly Opulence Cannot Withstand the Lord
“Lord Viṣṇu’s disc also entered Vārāṇasī, in pursuit of the fiery demon, and proceeded to burn the city to the ground, including all its assembly halls and residential palaces with raised porches, its numerous marketplaces, gateways, watchtowers, warehouses and treasuries, and all the buildings housing elephants, horses, chariots and grains.”
What the purport teaches
- Lord Viṣṇu’s disc entered Vārāṇasī in pursuit of the fiery demon and burned the city to the ground.
- The destruction included assembly halls, residential palaces, marketplaces, gateways and watchtowers. The city’s grand buildings could not withstand the disc.
- Warehouses, treasuries and buildings housing elephants, horses, chariots and grains were also burned. The city’s wealth and supplies did not preserve it.
Try this today
Notice one possession you rely on for security, and take a moment to acknowledge its limits before the Lord.
Ask yourself
Do I place more confidence in material resources than in the Lord?
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.