Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.12.14-15
Āśraya· The supreme shelterTake Wholehearted Shelter of Kṛṣṇa
“Therefore, My dear Uddhava, abandon the Vedic mantras as well as the procedures of supplementary Vedic literatures and their positive and negative injunctions. Disregard that which has been heard and that which is to be heard. Simply take shelter of Me alone, for I am the Supreme Personality of Godhead, situated within the heart of all conditioned souls. Take shelter of Me wholeheartedly, and by My grace be free from fear in all circumstances.”
What the purport teaches
- Kṛṣṇa asks Uddhava to take shelter of Him alone, wholeheartedly. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead within every conditioned soul’s heart, and by His grace one becomes free from fear.
- Neither mere renunciation nor ordinary, sectarian religious principles bring perfection. Through association with pure devotees, one must learn to love the Lord in His personal, original form.
- Loving devotees accept Kṛṣṇa and devotional service to Him as the only goal of life. Rather than becoming entangled in fruitive activities or mental speculation, one should follow the authorized, regulated process of bhakti-yoga.
Try this today
Bring one present fear before Kṛṣṇa in a brief prayer, asking for shelter and help to serve Him wholeheartedly.
Ask yourself
Am I treating devotional service as one goal among many, or as the goal of my life?
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.