Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.24.36
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesAsk for Help Remembering Kṛṣṇa
“My Lord, as the supreme directing Deity known as Aniruddha, You are the master of the senses and the mind. I therefore offer my obeisances unto You again and again. You are known as Ananta as well as Saṅkarṣaṇa because of Your ability to destroy the whole creation by the blazing fire from Your mouth.”
What the purport teaches
- The mind directs the senses, and Lord Aniruddha directs the mind. Lord Śiva therefore asks Him for help fixing his mind on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa in devotional service.
- Remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness come from the Lord. Through His fourfold expansion, Lord Kṛṣṇa governs thinking, feeling, willing and acting.
- The purport describes the sun-god as an expansion of Lord Aniruddha who maintains life through heat, light and rainfall. Lord Śiva prays that his mind may remain clean and engaged in the Lord’s devotional service.
Try this today
Spend one minute thinking of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, first asking Lord Aniruddha to help your mind remain engaged.
Ask yourself
When my mind wanders, do I remember to ask the Lord for help?
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.