Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.8.32
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesBegin Devotional Service Without Delay
“For this reason, my dear boy, you should not endeavor for this; it will not be successful. It is better that you go home. When you are grown up, by the mercy of the Lord you will get a chance for these mystic performances. At that time you may execute this function.”
What the purport teaches
- The Vedic system provides four stages of life, beginning with study under a spiritual master and culminating in complete devotion to devotional service.
- Serious devotees do not think devotional service must wait until old age. One should begin rendering devotional service at any point in life.
- Nārada was testing Dhruva Mahārāja's seriousness. The spiritual master tests how sincerely a disciple desires to execute devotional service.
Try this today
Set aside five minutes today for devotional service rather than waiting for a more convenient time.
Ask yourself
Am I postponing devotional service until I think my circumstances will be better?
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.