Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.6.12
Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protectionKṛṣṇa Gladly Accepts a Loving Offering
“O almighty Lord, You are so kind to Your servants that You have accepted the withered flower garland that we have placed on Your chest. Since the goddess of fortune makes her abode on Your transcendental chest, she will undoubtedly become agitated, like a jealous co-wife, upon seeing our offering also dwelling there. Yet You are so merciful that You neglect Your eternal consort Lakṣmī and accept our offering as most excellent worship. O merciful Lord, may Your lotus feet always act as a blazing fire to consume the inauspicious desires within our hearts.”
What the purport teaches
- Kṛṣṇa gratefully and happily accepts even the smallest offering from His loving devotee. He is conquered by pure love, not by the material value of a gift.
- Actual spiritual perfection calls for enthusiastic hearing and chanting of the Lord’s glories. Such devotional service is motivated by love, without selfish expectations.
- The remarks about the faded garland and Lakṣmī’s jealousy are loving humor. The Lord’s garland is transcendental, and the goddess of fortune has no mundane jealousy.
Try this today
Offer Kṛṣṇa a small flower or some water today with a simple expression of love, asking for no material reward.
Ask yourself
Can I offer something to Kṛṣṇa simply for His pleasure, without expecting a return?
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.