Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.3.12
Nirodha· Winding upSurrender, Not Status, Leads to Perfection
“Then Vairāja Brahmā, the soul of the universal form, gives up his universal body, O King, and enters into the subtle unmanifest nature, like a fire that has run out of fuel.”
What the purport teaches
- Vairāja Brahmā gives up his universal body like a fire that has run out of fuel. The Lord’s universal form is a temporary aid to meditation, not His eternal form of bliss and knowledge.
- Even the position of Brahmā cannot guarantee entrance into the Lord’s personal abode. Brahmā’s destination depends on whether he pursues material work, speculative knowledge or devotion.
- Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, promises to protect those who surrender to His devotional service and bring them to His supreme abode. Even Brahmā’s strenuous work is ultimately useless without surrender to Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet.
Try this today
Offer a brief prayer to Kṛṣṇa asking to serve Him rather than depend only on your own effort.
Ask yourself
Am I relying more on my accomplishments or on surrender to Kṛṣṇa?
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.