Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 2.7.42
Mukti· LiberationSincere Surrender Opens Understanding of God
“But anyone who is specifically favored by the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, due to unalloyed surrender unto the service of the Lord, can overcome the insurmountable ocean of illusion and can understand the Lord. But those who are attached to this body, which is meant to be eaten at the end by dogs and jackals, cannot do so.”
What the purport teaches
- Through unalloyed surrender to the Lord’s service, a devotee receives His mercy. By that mercy, one can cross the ocean of illusion and understand Him.
- Unalloyed devotees understand the Lord’s greatness and the greatness of His diverse energies. Attachment to the perishable body obstructs this understanding.
- Identifying the material body as the self keeps even extensive welfare work within a mistaken conception. Material advancement without knowledge of God cannot fulfill life’s purpose.
Try this today
Before one act of service today, pause and ask the Lord for help to serve sincerely, without pretension.
Ask yourself
Where does identifying yourself with your body distract you from 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.