Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.23.18
Mukti· LiberationOur Real Identity Is Kṛṣṇa’s Servant
“Pṛthu Mahārāja then offered the total designation of the living entity unto the supreme controller of illusory energy. Being released from all the designations by which the living entity became entrapped, he became free by knowledge and renunciation and by the spiritual force of his devotional service. In this way, being situated in his original constitutional position of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he gave up this body as a prabhu, or controller of the senses.”
What the purport teaches
- Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the source and controller of material energy. Situated within the heart, He gives the living entity facilities to act through different material bodies.
- The individual soul’s real identity is to be eternally a servant of Kṛṣṇa. By cultivating devotional service, one gradually understands one’s actual relationship with Him; complete liberation is the position in which one can execute devotional service.
- Through knowledge, renunciation and devotional strength, Pṛthu Mahārāja became a prabhu, a controller of the senses. Although an empowered incarnation, he followed devotional principles to teach others by his own example.
Try this today
Before one act of devotional service today, pause and remember: “I am eternally a servant of Kṛṣṇa.”
Ask yourself
How would remembering that I am Kṛṣṇa’s servant shape one choice today?
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.