Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.19.27
Mukti· LiberationReal Religion Leads to Devotional Service
“Actual religious principles are stated to be those that lead one to My devotional service. Real knowledge is the awareness that reveals My all-pervading presence. Detachment is complete disinterest in the objects of material sense gratification, and opulence is the eight mystic perfections, such as aṇimā-siddhi.”
What the purport teaches
- Actual religious principles lead to the Lord’s devotional service. Since the Supreme Lord is perfect knowledge, one delivered from ignorance naturally engages in serving Him.
- Real knowledge reveals the Lord’s all-pervading presence. Detachment means freedom from the three modes of material nature and the objects of sense gratification they produce.
- The eight mystic yoga perfections constitute material power in its highest degree. This opulence is distinct from the devotional service that defines actual religion.
Try this today
Examine one religious activity you perform and identify how it leads you toward devotional service.
Ask yourself
Does my understanding of religion lead me toward serving the Lord?
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.