Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.9.41
Āśraya· The supreme shelterSuccess Means Satisfying the Supreme Lord
“It is the opinion of expert transcendentalists that the ultimate goal of performing all traditional good works, penances, sacrifices, charities, mystic activities, trances, etc., is to invoke My satisfaction.”
What the purport teaches
- Good works, charity, sacrifice, penance and meditation become fully beneficial when they lead to the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s satisfaction.
- Arjuna gave up his own preference when he understood that Kṛṣṇa wanted him to fight. He acted for the Lord’s satisfaction rather than his own.
- The perfection of any activity is to satisfy the Supreme Lord. Without that satisfaction, even pious work fails to achieve its ultimate purpose.
Try this today
Before one good deed today, consciously make pleasing the Supreme Lord your purpose.
Ask yourself
Whose satisfaction am I making the standard of success in my activities?
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.