Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.16.37
Āśraya· The supreme shelterContinue Serving Through Reverses
“My dear sons, the Lord is the controller of the three modes of nature and is responsible for the creation, preservation and dissolution of the universe. His wonderful creative power, yoga-māyā, cannot be easily understood even by the masters of yoga. That most ancient person, the Personality of Godhead, will alone come to our rescue. What purpose can we serve on His behalf by deliberating on the subject?”
What the purport teaches
- The Lord controls the three modes of nature and the creation, preservation and dissolution of the universe. Even masters of yoga cannot easily understand His yoga-māyā.
- Difficulties faced by devotees do not mean that the Lord has abandoned them. The purport teaches that a devotee accepts even reverses as His grace, trusting that He has a plan.
- One who continues serving the Lord even in adverse conditions is assured of returning to Godhead. Brahmā therefore encouraged the demigods to trust the Supreme Lord rather than remain absorbed in anxious discussion.
Try this today
Choose one small act of service to the Lord and complete it today, even if an inconvenience arises.
Ask yourself
What small act of devotional service can I continue even when circumstances are difficult?
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.