Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.31.14
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesDevotional Service Purifies Our Spiritual Nature
“I am separated from the Supreme Lord because of my being in this material body, which is made of five elements, and therefore my qualities and senses are being misused, although I am essentially spiritual. Because the Supreme Personality of Godhead is transcendental to material nature and the living entities, because He is devoid of such a material body, and because He is always glorious in His spiritual qualities, I offer my obeisances unto Him.”
What the purport teaches
- The living entity can come under material nature, but the Supreme Personality of Godhead always remains above it. Material nature is under His control and cannot control Him.
- When freed from material contamination, the living entity shares the Lord’s spiritual quality. Yet the soul remains quantitatively different and is never equal to the Lord in power.
- Devotional service purifies material contamination and brings one to the spiritual platform. This liberation is achieved through Kṛṣṇa consciousness, beginning with surrender.
Try this today
Offer respectful obeisances to the Supreme Person, asking to use your senses in His service today.
Ask yourself
How can I use my senses in service rather than allowing material desires to direct them?
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.