Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.20.23
Mukti· LiberationPure Devotees Seek No Material Benediction
“My dear Lord, You are the best of the demigods who can offer benedictions. Why, therefore, should any learned person ask You for benedictions meant for living entities bewildered by the modes of nature? Such benedictions are available automatically, even in the lives of living entities suffering in hellish conditions. My dear Lord, You can certainly bestow merging into Your existence, but I do not wish to have such a benediction.”
What the purport teaches
- Karmīs desire heavenly life with greater happiness and a longer lifespan. Jñānīs and yogīs seek kaivalya, or merging into the Lord’s existence.
- The Lord is kaivalya-pati, the master who can grant that liberation. Yet pure devotees desire neither heavenly enjoyment nor merging into His existence.
- Pṛthu Mahārāja clearly rejected both kinds of benediction. Devotees do not even desire the positions of Lord Brahmā or Lord Śiva, or to become equal with Lord Viṣṇu.
Try this today
Offer one prayer today asking to serve the Lord rather than asking for material comfort or status.
Ask yourself
Do my prayers center on greater enjoyment, or on remaining devoted to the Lord?
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.