Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.13.46
Mukti· LiberationHardship Can Help Us Become Detached
“Then the King thought: A bad son is better than a good son because a good son creates an attachment for home, whereas a bad son does not. A bad son creates a hellish home from which an intelligent man naturally becomes very easily detached.”
What the purport teaches
- King Aṅga considered his bad son an impetus for detachment from home life. In this sense, he regarded his son as a friend.
- Prahlāda Mahārāja compares material home life to a blind well that is difficult to escape. He advises leaving it to take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- Ultimately, one must learn to become detached from material life. The King therefore saw hardship at home as a boon rather than only a misfortune.
Try this today
Spend one quiet minute praying for shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead rather than merely relief from a difficulty.
Ask yourself
How might a difficulty help me loosen material attachment and seek shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead?
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.