Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.5.41
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesVedic Wisdom Leads to the Lord’s Shelter
“The lotus feet of the Lord are by themselves the shelter of all places of pilgrimage. The great clear-minded sages, carried by the wings of the Vedas, always search after the nest of Your lotuslike face. Some of them surrender to Your lotus feet at every step by taking shelter of the best of rivers [the Ganges], which can deliver one from all sinful reactions.”
What the purport teaches
- The great sages are compared to swans who seek shelter in the Lord’s lotuslike face and at His lotus feet. Vedic wisdom is like the wings that carry them there.
- All Vedic knowledge is meant for understanding the Supreme Lord. Intelligent persons seek His shelter rather than remain absorbed in fruitless philosophical speculation.
- The Ganges and Bhagavad-gītā are chief sources of transcendental happiness. By taking shelter of them, one can go back home, back to Godhead.
Try this today
Read a short passage from Bhagavad-gītā with the intention of understanding and taking shelter of the Lord.
Ask yourself
Am I using spiritual learning to seek the Lord’s shelter, or merely to collect ideas?
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.