Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 2.8.18
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyDevotional Service Is Everyone’s Common Religion
“Please also explain what may generally be the common religious affiliations of human society, as well as their specific occupational duties in religion, the classification of the social orders as well as the administrative royal orders, and the religious principles for one who may be in distress.”
What the purport teaches
- Devotional service is the common religion of all human beings and can be shared by every living being. Under a genuine devotee’s guidance, no background excludes one from serving the Lord.
- Religious affiliations vary with countries and circumstances, but devotional service is the basic principle. Unlike a circumstantial leader, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa, does not require discipline to become supreme.
- One can achieve life’s highest perfection by offering the results of occupational duties in devotional service. The purport presents devotion as the enduring religious principle, with no need for a separate religion in distress.
Try this today
Offer the result of one task today to the Lord rather than keeping its purpose only for yourself.
Ask yourself
How can I make devotional service the shared purpose behind my daily duties?
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.