Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.14.19
Mukti· LiberationSincere Devotion Burns Sinful Reactions
“My dear Uddhava, just as a blazing fire turns firewood into ashes, similarly, devotion unto Me completely burns to ashes sins committed by My devotees.”
What the purport teaches
- Devotion to Kṛṣṇa is compared to a blazing fire that completely burns firewood to ashes. Such devotion burns away the devotee’s sinful reactions.
- A sincere devotee who accepts Kṛṣṇa as life’s only goal may accidentally stumble through immaturity or previous habits. When this happens without premeditation or indifference, the Lord immediately burns away the reactions.
- Committing sin on the strength of chanting the holy name is the greatest offense. Such an attitude cannot be compared to a blazing fire of love for Kṛṣṇa.
Try this today
Identify one excuse for a harmful habit and set it aside while offering a sincere prayer for shelter in Kṛṣṇa.
Ask yourself
Am I taking sincere shelter of Kṛṣṇa, or treating His mercy as permission to act carelessly?
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.