Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.7.28
Āśraya· The supreme shelterSeek Shelter From Troubled Material Life
“The members of the assembly addressed the Lord: O exclusive shelter for all who are situated in troubled life, in this formidable fort of conditional existence the time element, like a snake, is always looking for an opportunity to strike. This world is full of ditches of so-called distress and happiness, and there are many ferocious animals always ready to attack. The fire of lamentation is always blazing, and the mirage of false happiness is always alluring, but one has no shelter from them. Thus foolish persons live in the cycle of birth and death, always overburdened in discharging their so-called duties, and we do not know when they will accept the shelter of Your lotus feet.”
What the purport teaches
- Conditional existence is full of danger, lamentation and the mirage of false happiness. The assembly points to the Lord’s lotus feet as the shelter for those in distress.
- The purport explains that this precarious condition is due to forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa.
- The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is meant to relieve bewildered and distressed people. Its workers follow Lord Caitanya, the greatest friend to all living entities.
Try this today
Take one quiet minute amid today’s worries to remember Kṛṣṇa and ask for shelter at His lotus feet.
Ask yourself
When I feel burdened, do I remember the shelter of the Lord’s lotus feet?
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.