Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.76.5
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesBenedictions Against Kṛṣṇa Are Fruitless
“The great Lord Umāpati is known as “he who is quickly pleased,” yet only at the end of a year did he gratify Śālva, who had approached him for shelter, by offering him a choice of benedictions.”
What the purport teaches
- Lord Śiva is famous as Āśutoṣa, “one who is quickly satisfied.” Yet he did not come to Śālva for an entire year.
- As a great, all-knowing personality, Lord Śiva understood that any benediction given to Lord Kṛṣṇa’s enemy would be fruitless.
- Still, Śālva had approached him for shelter. To maintain the principle that a worshiper receives a benediction, Lord Śiva offered him a choice.
Try this today
Offer one brief prayer asking to serve Lord Kṛṣṇa rather than to gain an advantage over others.
Ask yourself
Are my prayers directed toward devotional service to Kṛṣṇa, or toward gaining power for my own purposes?
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.