Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.7.34
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesThe Lord Is Self-Sufficient and Unattached
“The sages prayed: Dear Lord, Your activities are most wonderful, and although You do everything by Your different potencies, You are not at all attached to such activities. You are not even attached to the goddess of fortune, who is worshiped by the great demigods like Brahmā, who pray to achieve her mercy.”
What the purport teaches
- The Lord has no need to perform activities or gain results from them. Still, He sometimes acts wonderfully to set an example for people.
- Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune, always serves the Lord, yet He is not attached to her. Even great demigods seek her favor.
- The Lord is self-sufficient and remains unattached to everything He does. He is unlike ordinary living entities, who become attached to the results of pious activities.
Try this today
Read the sages’ prayer slowly and offer one sentence of appreciation for the Lord’s self-sufficiency.
Ask yourself
How does the Lord’s self-sufficiency help me appreciate His position beyond ordinary living beings?
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.