Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.17.20
Ūti· What drives us to actEngage Everything in the Lord’s Service
“His younger brother, Hiraṇyākṣa, was always ready to satisfy his elder brother by his activities. Hiraṇyākṣa took a club on his shoulder and traveled all over the universe with a fighting spirit just to satisfy Hiraṇyakaśipu.”
What the purport teaches
- Hiraṇyākṣa traveled through the universe with a club and a fighting spirit to satisfy Hiraṇyakaśipu.
- The demoniac spirit trains family members to exploit the universe’s resources for personal sense gratification. Hiraṇyakaśipu strengthened his brother to help him fight and lord it over material nature.
- The godly spirit is to engage everything in the service of the Lord. Service, rather than exploitation and domination, is the guiding aim.
Try this today
Use one resource you have today—time, strength or a possession—in a small act of devotional service to the Lord.
Ask yourself
Do I use my abilities and relationships for personal gratification or for the Lord’s service?
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.