Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.20.26
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesTreasure Devotee Association and Chanting
“My dear highly glorified Lord, if one, in the association of pure devotees, hears even once the glories of Your activities, he does not, unless he is nothing but an animal, give up the association of devotees, for no intelligent person would be so careless as to leave their association. The perfection of chanting and hearing about Your glories was accepted even by the goddess of fortune, who desired to hear of Your unlimited activities and transcendental glories.”
What the purport teaches
- Association with devotees who are advancing spiritually is most important. Hearing the Lord’s glories in their company is an opportunity to cherish, not carelessly abandon.
- The Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra has great influence over everyone. Simply hearing it from pure devotees can awaken attraction to devotional life, regardless of one’s background.
- Even Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune, desired to hear the Lord’s glories. Pṛthu Mahārāja emphasizes that an intelligent person continues chanting rather than abandoning it for impersonal liberation.
Try this today
Join devotees today, in person or through a recording, and attentively chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.
Ask yourself
How can I give hearing and chanting with devotees a steadier place in my life?
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.