Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.5.47
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesLoving Service Is Life’s Highest Perfection
“My dear Vasudeva, you and your good wife Devakī have manifested great transcendental love for Kṛṣṇa, accepting Him as your son. Indeed, you are always seeing the Lord, embracing Him, speaking with Him, resting with Him, sitting together with Him and taking your meals with Him. By such affectionate and intimate association with the Lord, undoubtedly both of you have completely purified your hearts. In other words, you are already perfect.”
What the purport teaches
- Vasudeva and Devakī expressed intense love for Kṛṣṇa by seeing, embracing, speaking and sharing daily life with Him as their son. Nārada assured them that they were already completely purified and perfect.
- Vasudeva is an eternally liberated associate of the Lord, always eager to serve Kṛṣṇa. His extreme humility led him to seek devotional instruction as though he were an ordinary human being.
- Ordinary conditioned souls purify their lives by following the principles of bhakti-yoga and offering all their activities in devotional service. Everyone should develop dormant love for Kṛṣṇa, seeking the joy of pleasing Him.
Try this today
Choose one activity today and consciously offer it in devotional service for Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure.
Ask yourself
How can my desire to please Kṛṣṇa become more present in daily life?
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.