Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.15.36
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesPray Never to Forget the Lord
“After being cursed by the sages, the doormen said: It is quite apt that you have punished us for neglecting to respect sages like you. But we pray that due to your compassion at our repentance, the illusion of forgetting the Supreme Personality of Godhead will not come upon us as we go progressively downward.”
What the purport teaches
- The doormen accepted their punishment because they understood their offense in preventing the sages from entering Vaikuṇṭhaloka.
- To a devotee, even heavy punishment is tolerable, but forgetfulness of the Supreme Lord is not. The doormen prayed that their coming lives would not destroy their remembrance of Him.
- Envy of the Lord and His devotees leads to lower forms of life, where forgetfulness of Him is prominent. The doormen therefore appealed for compassion in their repentance.
Try this today
Offer a brief prayer asking to remember the Supreme Personality of Godhead even in difficulty.
Ask yourself
When I face difficulties, how important is remembering the Supreme Lord to me?
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.