Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.22.44
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesOffer Everything with a Servant’s Heart
“The King continued: Therefore, my dear brāhmaṇas, my life, wife, children, home, furniture and household paraphernalia, my kingdom, strength, land and especially my treasury are all offered unto you.”
What the purport teaches
- Pṛthu Mahārāja offered his life, strength, kingdom and possessions to the Kumāras. His offering included even the private jewelry kept separately from the state treasury.
- The purport favors the reading rāyaḥ, meaning wealth, rather than dārāḥ, meaning wife. It explicitly explains that a wife is not to be offered in charity.
- The King’s property already belonged to the brāhmaṇas, and he used it for the welfare of the state. His offering was like a servant preparing and offering food that already belongs to the master.
Try this today
Use one possession today to perform a small service, remembering the example of the servant preparing food for the master.
Ask yourself
How can I use what is entrusted to me with a servant’s care rather than a proprietor’s pride?
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.