Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.18.9
Mukti· LiberationPure Devotional Service Leads to Kṛṣṇa
“The saintly vānaprastha, practicing severe penances and accepting only the bare necessities of life, becomes so emaciated that he appears to be mere skin and bones. Thus worshiping Me through severe penances, he goes to the Maharloka planet and then directly achieves Me.”
What the purport teaches
- The translation describes a vānaprastha worshiping the Lord through severe penances and accepting only bare necessities. He reaches Maharloka and then achieves the Lord.
- A vānaprastha who develops pure devotional service achieves the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, during that stage of life. One not completely Kṛṣṇa conscious first goes to Maharloka, also called Ṛṣiloka.
- Strict regulations alone do not bring the perfect liberation of returning to Godhead. One must develop a taste for chanting and hearing the Lord’s glories, gradually awakening pure love of Godhead.
Try this today
Spend a few attentive minutes chanting or hearing the glories of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Ask yourself
Am I developing a taste for hearing and chanting, rather than merely following rules?
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.