Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 12.9.8-9
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesWorship Filled With Love, Not Material Ambition
“Thinking always of his desire to see the Lord’s illusory energy, the sage remained in his āśrama, meditating constantly upon the Lord within fire, the sun, the moon, water, the earth, air, lightning and his own heart and worshiping Him with paraphernalia conceived in his mind. But sometimes, overwhelmed by waves of love for the Lord, Mārkaṇḍeya would forget to perform his regular worship.”
What the purport teaches
- Mārkaṇḍeya constantly meditated upon the Lord within the elements, the sun, the moon and his own heart, offering worship with paraphernalia conceived in his mind.
- Sometimes waves of love for the Lord overwhelmed him so completely that he forgot his regular worship.
- He was a great devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. His desire to see the Lord’s illusory energy was meant to understand how it works, not to fulfill material ambition.
Try this today
Spend a quiet minute offering the Lord worship with paraphernalia conceived in your mind.
Ask yourself
Is my desire to understand the Lord’s potency rooted in devotion or material ambition?
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.