Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.18.4
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesThe Lord’s Potency Ends Material Misery
“You rascal, You have been nourished by our enemies to kill us, and You have killed some demons by remaining invisible. O fool, Your power is only mystic, so today I shall enliven my kinsmen by killing You.”
What the purport teaches
- Śrīdhara Svāmī explains that the word meaning “killing” can indicate liberation: ending the process of repeated birth and death.
- The Lord’s internal potency, yoga-māyā, is inconceivable. By even a slight exhibition of it, He can graciously deliver one from ignorance and extinguish material miseries.
- Demons mistakenly think material strength and weapons can kill God. Through His many potencies, the Lord can be present everywhere while remaining in Goloka Vṛndāvana.
Try this today
Take a quiet moment to ask the Lord for His grace to overcome ignorance.
Ask yourself
Do I place more confidence in material power than in the Lord’s grace?
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.