Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.16.2
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesGlorify the Lord According to Your Ability
“The reciters continued: Dear King, you are a direct incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṇu, and by His causeless mercy you have descended to this earth. Therefore it is not possible for us to actually glorify your exalted activities. Although you have appeared through the body of King Vena, even great orators and speakers like Lord Brahmā and other demigods cannot exactly describe the glorious activities of Your Lordship.”
What the purport teaches
- Here māyayā means causeless mercy. The Lord appears through His internal potency, not in a body imposed by material energy.
- The Lord is fully independent and can appear anywhere. Even great demigods cannot adequately describe His unlimited glories.
- Glorifying the Lord purifies us, so we should make the attempt according to our ability. The Lord gives sincere devotees intelligence to offer prayers properly.
Try this today
Offer a short prayer glorifying one quality of the Lord described in this passage.
Ask yourself
Does feeling inadequate ever keep me from offering sincere prayers?
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.