Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.29.49
Mukti· LiberationTrue Work and Education Please Kṛṣṇa
“My dear King, the entire world is covered with the sharp points of kuśa grass, and on the strength of this you have become proud because you have killed various types of animals in sacrifices. Because of your foolishness, you do not know that devotional service is the only way one can please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You cannot understand this fact. Your only activities should be those that can please the Personality of Godhead. Our education should be such that we can become elevated to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.”
What the purport teaches
- Nārada chastises the King for taking pride in sacrifices involving animal-killing. These sacrifices had only increased his false prestige.
- Devotional service is the only way to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Our activities should be directed toward pleasing Him.
- True education leads one to understand Kṛṣṇa and become elevated to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, activities and educational pursuits miss their true purpose.
Try this today
Read this verse’s translation once more, focusing on how your learning today can help you please Kṛṣṇa.
Ask yourself
Are my activities and learning helping me please Kṛṣṇa, or mainly increasing my sense of importance?
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.