Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.8.66
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesRecognize the Needs of the Vulnerable
“My dear brāhmaṇa, the face of my son was just like a lotus flower. I am thinking of his precarious condition. He is unprotected, and he might be very hungry. He might have lain down somewhere in the forest, and the wolves might have attacked him to eat his body.”
What the purport teaches
- The King remembered his son’s face as being like a lotus flower.
- He worried that his son was unprotected and hungry in the forest.
- He feared that the boy might have lain down somewhere and been attacked by wolves. These were the King’s fears, not a report of what had happened.
Try this today
Check whether someone in your care needs a meal, rest or practical help.
Ask yourself
Whose need for food, rest or protection deserves my attention?
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.