Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.5.11
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesHearing About Kṛṣṇa Frees the Self
“Who in human society can be satisfied without hearing sufficient talk of the Lord, whose lotus feet are the sum total of all places of pilgrimage and who is worshiped by great sages and devotees? Such topics can cut off one’s bondage to family affection simply by entering the holes of one’s ears.”
What the purport teaches
- Kṛṣṇa-kathā is so powerful that simply entering the ear can free a person from the bondage of material family attachment. Such attachment keeps the mind absorbed in activities that bring repeated birth and death.
- Bhagavad-gītā teaches that the body is perishable, while the conscious self is imperishable. Ignorance and passion strongly bind one to identifying the body as the self.
- Even material goodness cannot fully free one from material bondage. Kṛṣṇa-kathā can establish pure consciousness of the self, and sharing it is a great service to the world.
Try this today
Listen attentively to a short reading of Bhagavad-gītā today, remembering the distinction between the perishable body and the imperishable self.
Ask yourself
Where do I most often mistake my bodily identity for my real self?
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.