Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.19.37
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesThe Lord Empowers Teachers of Devotion
“O King Pṛthu, son of Vena, you are the part-and-parcel expansion of Lord Viṣṇu. Due to the mischievous activities of King Vena, religious principles were almost lost. At that opportune moment you descended as the incarnation of Lord Viṣṇu. Indeed, for the protection of religious principles you have appeared from the body of King Vena.”
What the purport teaches
- Pṛthu appeared when King Vena’s misdeeds had almost destroyed religious principles. Lord Viṣṇu empowered him to protect those principles.
- Pṛthu is a śaktyāveśa-avatāra: a living entity especially invested with Lord Viṣṇu’s power. Such an empowered person teaches devotion according to the śāstras.
- Explaining the glories of the Lord’s holy name requires His special empowerment. Finding fault with a pure Vaiṣṇava is an offense against Lord Viṣṇu, even if the offender wears religious dress.
Try this today
Today, replace one faultfinding remark about a teacher of devotion with a respectful effort to understand the teaching.
Ask yourself
Do I approach those who sincerely teach devotion with respect or with a faultfinding attitude?
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.