Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.2.49
Mukti· LiberationRemember Kṛṣṇa Amid Material Distress
“Within the material world, one’s material body is always subject to birth and decay. Similarly, the life air [prāṇa] is harassed by hunger and thirst, the mind is always anxious, the intelligence hankers for that which cannot be obtained, and all of the senses are ultimately exhausted by constant struggle in the material nature. A person who is not bewildered by the inevitable miseries of material existence, and who remains aloof from them simply by remembering the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is to be considered bhāgavata-pradhāna, the foremost devotee of the Lord.”
What the purport teaches
- The body undergoes birth and decay, while hunger, thirst, anxiety and exhausting struggle accompany material life. The foremost devotee is not bewildered by these miseries, because he remembers the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- The pure devotee gives up the bodily concept of life and understands himself as an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. His freedom from bewilderment is not merely the temporary comfort gained through pious activities.
- Devotional service is joyful even in the stage of regulated practice. Chanting Kṛṣṇa’s holy names, eating food offered to Him and hearing His pastimes bring the happiness of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Try this today
Set aside one minute today to chant Kṛṣṇa’s holy names while remembering His lotus feet.
Ask yourself
When anxiety arises, can I remember that I am Kṛṣṇa’s eternal servant rather than identify myself with my troubled mind?
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.