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Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.14.29

Nirodha· Winding up

Take Shelter of Kṛṣṇa Beyond Time

“The personal weapon used by Lord Kṛṣṇa, the disc, is called hari-cakra, the disc of Hari. This cakra is the wheel of time. It expands from the beginning of the atoms up to the time of Brahmā’s death, and it controls all activities. It is always revolving and spending the lives of the living entities, from Lord Brahmā down to an insignificant blade of grass. Thus one changes from infancy, to childhood, to youth and maturity, and thus one approaches the end of life. It is impossible to check this wheel of time. This wheel is very exacting because it is the personal weapon of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sometimes the conditioned soul, fearing the approach of death, wants to worship someone who can save him from imminent danger. Yet he does not care for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose weapon is the indefatigable time factor. The conditioned soul instead takes shelter of a man-made god described in unauthorized scriptures. Such gods are like buzzards, vultures, herons and crows. Vedic scriptures do not refer to them. Imminent death is like the attack of a lion, and neither vultures, buzzards, crows nor herons can save one from such an attack. One who takes shelter of unauthorized man-made gods cannot be saved from the clutches of death.”

Śrīla Prabhupāda · Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.14.29, translation

What the purport teaches

  • The hari-cakra, Lord Kṛṣṇa’s disc, is the wheel of time. It spends the lives of all living beings, and no one can stop it.
  • No one can escape the cruel hands of death without the favor of Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Full surrender to Kṛṣṇa saves one from the grip of material nature.
  • Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā are authorized guides. Teachers who claim spiritual authority without referring to these scriptures cannot provide real shelter.

Try this today

Read a short passage from Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam today with the intention of seeking Kṛṣṇa’s shelter.

Ask yourself

When I feel afraid, do I seek shelter in Kṛṣṇa and His authorized teachings?

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.

One of the 108 chosen lessons, close to this verseUnderstanding Kṛṣṇa Through a Devotee’s MercySB 5.12.12Next · LeadTeach what you are livingTurn this chapter into a timed class plan or a short reel script.Open Lecture Studio