Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.16.19
Āśraya· The supreme shelterThe Lord in Strength and Renunciation
“O sinless Uddhava, among the best of snakes I am Anantadeva, and among those animals with sharp horns or teeth I am the lion. Among the social orders I am the fourth, or the renounced order of life, and among the occupational divisions I am the first, the brāhmaṇas.”
What the purport teaches
- Among the best of snakes, the Lord is Anantadeva. Among animals with sharp horns or teeth, He is the lion.
- Among the social orders, He is the fourth, the renounced order of life.
- Among the occupational divisions, He is the first, the brāhmaṇas.
Try this today
Read the verse twice, noticing both its animal examples and its examples from human life.
Ask yourself
How does this verse broaden my attention from animal strength to the renounced order of 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.