Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.28.14
Nirodha· Winding upThe Life Air Struggles to Leave
“As a serpent living within the cavity of a tree wishes to leave when there is a forest fire, so the city’s police superintendent, the snake, wished to leave the city due to the fire’s severe heat.”
What the purport teaches
- The snake wished to leave the burning city because of the severe heat. It is compared to a serpent seeking escape from a burning tree.
- The purport explains that snakes have difficulty escaping a forest fire. Unlike animals with long legs, they can only crawl.
- At the last stage of life, the life air is affected more severely than the limbs of the body.
Try this today
Reread the serpent comparison slowly, reflecting on the helplessness it describes.
Ask yourself
What does the struggling serpent help me understand about the difficulty of leaving the body?
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.