Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 2.7.4
Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protectionGive Your Time to Loving Service
“The great sage Atri prayed for offspring, and the Lord, being satisfied with him, promised to incarnate as Atri’s son, Dattātreya [Datta, the son of Atri]. And by the grace of the lotus feet of the Lord, many Yadus, Haihayas, etc., became so purified that they obtained both material and spiritual blessings.”
What the purport teaches
- Atri desired the Lord as his son through the parental affection called vātsalya. Pleased with his devotion, the Lord gave Himself as Atri’s son, Dattātreya.
- Although the Lord is the father of all living entities, He takes pleasure in becoming His devotee’s son. This relationship allows the devotee to offer Him affectionate service.
- A devotee need not seek material enjoyment, liberation or mystic powers separately, but should use life’s valuable time in loving service. Even after attaining spiritual perfection, one must guard against offenses to devotees.
Try this today
Set aside five minutes today to offer the Lord a prayer focused on serving Him rather than requesting benefits.
Ask yourself
Am I seeking blessings separately, or giving my attention to lovingly serving the Lord?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.