Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.14.20
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesPure Loving Service Wins Kṛṣṇa
“My dear Uddhava, the unalloyed devotional service rendered to Me by My devotees brings Me under their control. I cannot be thus controlled by those engaged in mystic yoga, Sāṅkhya philosophy, pious work, Vedic study, austerity or renunciation.”
What the purport teaches
- Strong, unalloyed devotional service brings Kṛṣṇa under His devotees’ control. Mystic yoga, Sāṅkhya philosophy, pious work, study, austerity and renunciation cannot do so in the same way.
- Direct loving service pleases the Lord more than these other practices, even when they aim toward Him. Such service includes hearing and chanting about Him and carrying out His mission.
- A devotee should simply depend on Kṛṣṇa, without unnecessarily complicating service through desires for material results or mental speculation.
Try this today
Set aside five minutes to hear or chant about Kṛṣṇa, with the intention of pleasing Him.
Ask yourself
Am I making loving service complicated instead of simply depending on Kṛṣṇa?
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.