Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.2.37 · one of the 108 chosen verses
Mukti· LiberationFind Shelter in Devotional Service
“Fear arises when a living entity misidentifies himself as the material body because of absorption in the external, illusory energy of the Lord. When the living entity thus turns away from the Supreme Lord, he also forgets his own constitutional position as a servant of the Lord. This bewildering, fearful condition is effected by the potency for illusion, called māyā. Therefore, an intelligent person should engage unflinchingly in the unalloyed devotional service of the Lord, under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, whom he should accept as his worshipable deity and as his very life and soul.”
What the purport teaches
- Fear arises when we identify with the temporary material body and forget our position as servants of the Lord. Although we seek independence, we are eternally dependent upon Kṛṣṇa.
- Knowledge that “I am spirit soul” cannot ultimately remove fear without shelter in the Lord. By surrendering to Kṛṣṇa, we receive His mercy and can cross beyond māyā.
- Our eternal duty is unalloyed devotional service to the Supreme Lord. The verse directs us to serve steadily under a bona fide spiritual master, accepting him as worshipable and as our very life and soul.
Try this today
Today, pause over one fear and remember: “I am not this temporary body; I am an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa.” Read the verse’s instruction on devotional service once more.
Ask yourself
How does remembering that I am Kṛṣṇa’s eternal servant change the way I understand my fears?
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.