Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.1.16
Mukti· LiberationTurn Adversity Toward Devotional Service
“Thus being pierced by arrows through his ears and afflicted to the core of his heart, Vidura placed his bow on the door and quit his brother’s palace. He was not sorry, for he considered the acts of the external energy to be supreme.”
What the purport teaches
- The conditioned soul acts under the Lord’s external energy but falsely thinks himself independent. Material nature itself remains fully under the Supreme Lord’s control.
- Although Duryodhana’s words deeply hurt Vidura, he understood that Duryodhana was acting under māyā toward his own ruin. As a pure devotee, Vidura also saw the Lord’s internal energy helping him.
- Vidura was not attached to the royal palace and welcomed the chance to leave. Instead of remaining sorrowful, he inwardly thanked Duryodhana for the opportunity to engage fully in devotional service.
Try this today
Set aside five minutes today for devotional service instead of dwelling on an upsetting incident.
Ask yourself
Can I use a difficult situation as an opportunity to give more attention to 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.