Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.3.48
Mukti· LiberationLearn Worship Through the Spiritual Master’s Mercy
“Having obtained the mercy of his spiritual master, who reveals to the disciple the injunctions of Vedic scriptures, the devotee should worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the particular personal form of the Lord the devotee finds most attractive.”
What the purport teaches
- The spiritual master’s mercy includes formal initiation and instruction in scriptural worship. A bona fide spiritual master must be surrendered to the Supreme Lord, and both teacher and disciple should carefully examine each other’s qualifications.
- The disciple should remember that understanding of Vedic knowledge comes through the spiritual master’s mercy. This relationship is one of service, not the disciple’s sense gratification, and should not be accepted or rejected whimsically.
- Under this guidance, the devotee worships the Supreme Lord in the personal form he finds most attractive. Material things should be accepted or rejected according to Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure, preserving the standard of pure devotional service.
Try this today
Choose one possession you use today and identify a concrete way to engage it in the Lord’s service.
Ask yourself
Do I consider how something can serve Kṛṣṇa before accepting or rejecting it?
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.