Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.18.2
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesPurification Is the Aim of Human Life
“The ruler Bhadraśravā and his intimate associates utter the following prayer: We offer our respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the reservoir of all religious principles, who cleanses the heart of the conditioned soul in this material world. Again and again we offer our respectful obeisances unto Him.”
What the purport teaches
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the reservoir of all religious principles and cleanses the conditioned soul’s heart. Bhadraśravā and his associates repeatedly offer Him respectful obeisances.
- Human life is meant for purification, not blind indulgence in sense gratification. One must worship Lord Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, through penances and austerities and engage in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
- Material happiness is temporary, however large the arrangements made for it. The unobstructed happiness we seek is spiritual happiness, called brahma-saukhya.
Try this today
Set aside one optional enjoyment today and use that time to offer respectful prayers to Kṛṣṇa.
Ask yourself
Am I giving more attention to temporary enjoyment or to purifying my existence?
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.