Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.12.43
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesBe Serious About Devotion in This Life
“Dhruva Mahārāja attained an exalted position at the age of only five or six years, after undergoing austerity for six months. Alas, a great kṣatriya cannot achieve such a position even after undergoing austerities for many, many years.”
What the purport teaches
- Dhruva Mahārāja was only five or six years old and underwent austerity for six months. He was not yet a fully trained kṣatriya.
- Birth in a brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya family does not itself supply the required qualifications. Training and purification are necessary.
- Dhruva Mahārāja’s life teaches that one can return to Godhead in this very life. One must become serious and sincere in devotional service as he was.
Try this today
Set aside five minutes today for devotional service you have been putting off.
Ask yourself
What spiritual effort am I postponing that I could sincerely begin today?
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.