Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.8.4
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesDevotees Work for the Welfare of Others
“O my lord, O great devotee, persons like you move from one place to another not for their own interests but for the sake of poor-hearted gṛhasthas [householders]. Otherwise they have no interest in going from one place to another.”
What the purport teaches
- Garga Muni had no personal needs; he visited Nanda Mahārāja for Nanda’s benefit. A pure Vaiṣṇava’s duty is to act for the welfare of others.
- Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has no needs, yet He comes to protect devotees and vanquish miscreants. Those who carry out His mission of helping others are very dear to Him.
- Householders need guidance beyond the pursuit of sense gratification. Nanda Mahārāja was ready to receive Garga Muni’s instructions and execute his order.
Try this today
Ask a qualified devotee for one instruction that can help your spiritual life, and take a small step to follow it.
Ask yourself
Am I ready to receive spiritual guidance and act on it?
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.