Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.87.20
Mukti· LiberationThe Soul Is Meant to Serve Kṛṣṇa
“The individual living entity, while inhabiting the material bodies he has created for himself by his karma, actually remains uncovered by either gross or subtle matter. This is so because, as the Vedas describe, he is part and parcel of You, the possessor of all potencies. Having determined this to be the status of the living entity, learned sages become imbued with faith and worship Your lotus feet, to which all Vedic sacrifices in this world are offered, and which are the source of liberation.”
What the purport teaches
- The jīva soul is never directly touched by gross or subtle material coverings. Beyond mistaken material identities, the soul is a pure spark of divine spirit, a servant of the Supreme Godhead.
- The jīva is an eternal, minute expansion of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not an omnipotent Viṣṇu expansion. The Supreme Lord is the object of worship, and the subordinate soul is meant to be His worshiper.
- Worship of the Lord’s lotus feet is the fully bloomed flower of the tree of Vedic rituals. Such worship brings liberation from material existence and firm faith in the Lord’s mercy, even while one lives in this world.
Try this today
Offer a brief prayer asking Kṛṣṇa to direct you to the service of His lotus feet.
Ask yourself
How might seeing myself as Kṛṣṇa’s servant change the importance I give to my bodily identity?
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.