Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.4.31
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesRepresenting the Lord Through Pure Service
“Uddhava is not inferior to Me in any way because he is never affected by the modes of material nature. Therefore he may remain in this world in order to disseminate specific knowledge of the Personality of Godhead.”
What the purport teaches
- A representative of the Lord must be unaffected by the modes of material nature. Even the mode of goodness must be transcended to reach unalloyed goodness, called śuddha-sattva.
- One who lives only for the Lord’s loving service through actions, mind and words is liberated, even while apparently living in material conditions. This liberated condition is called jīvan-mukta.
- Uddhava had this transcendental qualification, so the Lord chose him to spread knowledge of the Personality of Godhead. Such a pure devotee can withstand the onslaughts of material nature.
Try this today
Choose one small service to the Lord today, and give it your attention in both thought and action.
Ask yourself
How could my actions, thoughts and words become more devoted to 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.