Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.24.62
Āśraya· The supreme shelterDirect All Worship to the Supreme Lord
“My dear Lord, Your universal form consists of all five elements, the senses, mind, intelligence, false ego (which is material) and the Paramātmā, Your partial expansion, who is the director of everything. Yogīs other than the devotees — namely the karma-yogī and jñāna-yogī — worship You by their respective actions in their respective positions. It is stated both in the Vedas and in the śāstras that are corollaries of the Vedas, and indeed everywhere, that it is only You who are to be worshiped. That is the expert version of all the Vedas.”
What the purport teaches
- The actual goal of sacrifice and worship is Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The demigods are His agents, not independent objects of worship.
- Those expert in the Vedas and Tantras understand that everyone should worship Lord Viṣṇu. The purpose of the regulative principles is to satisfy Him.
- The material elements, mind, intelligence, ego and living entities represent the Lord’s different energies. Knowing that the one Lord expands in everything, a devotee concentrates all energy in worshiping Him.
Try this today
Offer a brief prayer to Lord Viṣṇu today with the intention of pleasing Him rather than asking for material benefits.
Ask yourself
Is my worship directed toward satisfying the Supreme Lord, or mainly toward obtaining benefits?
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.