Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.17.3-4
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesTreasure the Lord’s Religious Teachings
“My dear Lord, O mighty-armed one, previously in Your form of Lord Haṁsa You spoke to Lord Brahmā those religious principles that bring supreme happiness to the practitioner. My dear Mādhava, now much time has passed, and that which You previously instructed will soon practically cease to exist, O subduer of the enemy.”
What the purport teaches
- The Lord previously appeared as Lord Haṁsa and taught religious principles to Lord Brahmā.
- These religious principles bring supreme happiness to those who practice them.
- Uddhava observes that much time has passed. He fears that the Lord’s earlier instructions will soon practically disappear from human society.
Try this today
Reread this translation slowly and offer a brief prayer to understand and practice the Lord’s teachings.
Ask yourself
Do you value the Lord’s teachings as guidance to practice, rather than merely information to remember?
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.