Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.19.34
Mukti· LiberationTolerate Reversals Without Becoming Agitated
“My dear King, do not be agitated and anxious because your sacrifices have not been properly executed due to providential impediments. Kindly take my words with great respect. We should always remember that if something happens by providential arrangement, we should not be very sorry. The more we try to rectify such reversals, the more we enter into the darkest region of materialistic thought.”
What the purport teaches
- Even saintly and religious people meet reversals in life. Such incidents should be taken as providential.
- Becoming absorbed in trying to rectify these reversals can draw the mind deeper into material anxiety.
- Lord Brahmā asked Pṛthu to hear his advice respectfully. Lord Kṛṣṇa also advises tolerating difficulties instead of becoming agitated.
Try this today
When one small frustration arises today, pause before reacting and practice tolerating it without angry brooding.
Ask yourself
Which setback am I repeatedly dwelling on, and is that dwelling increasing my anxiety?
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.