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Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.19.26

Nirodha· Winding up

Material Power Cannot Equal the Lord

“Though struck indifferently by the Lord, the conqueror of all, the demon’s body began to wheel. His eyeballs bulged out of their sockets. His arms and legs broken and the hair on his head scattered, he fell down dead, like a gigantic tree uprooted by the wind.”

Śrīla Prabhupāda · Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.19.26, translation

What the purport teaches

  • The Lord could have killed Hiraṇyākṣa long before, but He allowed the demon to display the full extent of his magical feats.
  • Magical feats, scientific advancement and material power cannot make anyone equal to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • One signal from the Lord is sufficient to destroy all our attempts. Despite the demon's maneuvers, the Lord killed him with one slap when He desired.

Try this today

Name one ability you feel proud of, and pause to acknowledge that it cannot make you equal to the Supreme Lord.

Ask yourself

Where am I placing too much confidence in my own abilities or material resources?

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.

One of the 108 chosen lessons, close to this verseDevotional Service Perfects Self-realizationSB 3.25.19Next · LeadTeach what you are livingTurn this chapter into a timed class plan or a short reel script.Open Lecture Studio