Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.11.15
Sthāna· The universe in orderThe Sun Sustains Life and Shortens It
“O Vidura, the sun enlivens all living entities with his unlimited heat and light. He diminishes the duration of life of all living entities in order to release them from their illusion of material attachment, and he enlarges the path of elevation to the heavenly kingdom. He thus moves in the firmament with great velocity, and therefore everyone should offer him respects once every five years with all ingredients of worship.”
What the purport teaches
- The sun enlivens all living entities with his unlimited heat and light.
- He diminishes their duration of life to release them from the illusion of material attachment. He also enlarges the path of elevation to the heavenly kingdom.
- The sun moves through the firmament with great velocity. The verse directs everyone to offer him respects every five years with all ingredients of worship.
Try this today
Name one material attachment today and reflect on it in light of your diminishing lifespan.
Ask yourself
How can the passing of each day help you reconsider your material attachments?
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.