Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 12.6.70
Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protectionGive Spiritual Duties a Daily Place
“The world has been seized and swallowed by the python of darkness in its horrible mouth and has become unconscious, as if dead. But mercifully glancing upon the sleeping people of the world, you raise them up with the gift of sight. Thus you are most magnanimous. At the three sacred junctures of each day, you engage the pious in the path of ultimate good, inducing them to perform religious duties that situate them in their spiritual position.”
What the purport teaches
- The prayer compares darkness to a python that swallows the world. The merciful gift of sight awakens people and helps engage them in spiritual duties.
- In Vedic culture, the intellectual, political and mercantile sections receive the Gāyatrī mantra through initiation by a spiritual master. This purifying mantra is chanted at sunrise, noon and sunset.
- The sun’s path determines auspicious times for spiritual duties. The purport attributes this systematic scheduling to the sun as God’s representative.
Try this today
Set aside a few minutes at sunrise, noon or sunset today for your regular spiritual practice.
Ask yourself
How could a regular time for spiritual duties help you give spiritual life greater attention?
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.