Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.7.17
Āśraya· The supreme shelterSeek Knowledge from the Perfect Teacher
“My dear Lord, You are the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and You reveal Yourself to Your devotees. Besides Your Lordship, I do not see anyone who can actually explain perfect knowledge to me. Such a perfect teacher is not to be found even among the demigods in heaven. Indeed, all of the demigods, headed by Lord Brahmā, are bewildered by Your illusory potency. They are conditioned souls who accept their own material bodies and bodily expansions to be the highest truth.”
What the purport teaches
- Even the demigods can become absorbed in their bodies, bodily relations and material responsibilities. Their devotion is therefore tinged with material desires.
- The Supreme Lord has an eternal body full of bliss and knowledge, whereas the demigods have material forms subject to birth, death, old age and disease.
- Uddhava seeks eternal life with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not heavenly comforts. Only the Lord or His pure devotee, who faithfully repeats His message, can guide one beyond material existence.
Try this today
Reread this verse's translation and identify one reason Uddhava chooses the Lord as his teacher.
Ask yourself
Am I seeking spiritual knowledge mainly for material comfort, or to return to the Lord?
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.