Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.18.23-24
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesDifferent Creatures Receive Different Foods
“The four-legged animals like the cows made a calf out of the bull who carries Lord Śiva and made a milking pot out of the forest. Thus they got fresh green grasses to eat. Ferocious animals like tigers transformed a lion into a calf, and thus they were able to get flesh for milk. The birds made a calf out of Garuḍa and took milk from the planet earth in the form of moving insects and nonmoving plants and grasses.”
What the purport teaches
- The cows and other four-legged animals received fresh green grasses, while ferocious animals received flesh. Their forms of milk differed according to their food.
- The birds made Garuḍa their calf and received both moving insects and nonmoving plants and grasses.
- The purport explains that some birds eat other animals, while many eat only fruits and berries. Moving and nonmoving foods are both included in the verse.
Try this today
Observe a bird or animal today and notice the kind of food it eats.
Ask yourself
What does this variety of foods help me notice about the different needs of living creatures?
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.