Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.8.38
Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protectionRecognizing Mercy Within Disappointment
“A person who has developed detachment can give up the bondage of material society, friendship and love, and a person who undergoes great suffering gradually becomes, out of hopelessness, detached and indifferent to the material world. Thus, due to my great suffering, such detachment awoke in my heart; yet how could I have undergone such merciful suffering if I were actually unfortunate? Therefore, I am in fact fortunate and have received the mercy of the Lord. He must somehow or other be pleased with me.”
What the purport teaches
- Detachment enables a person to give up the bondage of material society, friendship and love.
- Piṅgalā sees that her great suffering awakened detachment in her heart. The loss of her hopes for material enjoyment changed her outlook.
- She therefore considers herself fortunate rather than unfortunate. She recognizes the Lord's mercy in the detachment that her suffering brought.
Try this today
Write one sentence about a past disappointment that helped you become less attached, and acknowledge the benefit you received.
Ask yourself
Has a disappointment helped me loosen an attachment that was binding me?
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.