Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.18.8
Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protectionPray for Freedom From Material Desires
“I offer my respectful obeisances unto Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, the source of all power. O my Lord who possess nails and teeth just like thunderbolts, kindly vanquish our demonlike desires for fruitive activity in this material world. Please appear in our hearts and drive away our ignorance so that by Your mercy we may become fearless in the struggle for existence in this material world.”
What the purport teaches
- Prahlāda prays to Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, the source of all power, to destroy desires for fruitive activity. He asks the Lord to appear in the heart, remove ignorance and grant fearlessness.
- Strong desires for material enjoyment lead the conditioned soul to accept one body after another. Devotional service to the Lord can release these hard-knotted desires.
- Pure devotional service means serving the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa favorably, without seeking material profit or gain through fruitive activity or philosophical speculation. Devotees aspiring to freedom from material desires should pray to Nṛsiṁhadeva.
Try this today
Offer the prayer in this translation to Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, sincerely asking for freedom from one material desire.
Ask yourself
What desire for material gain would I like to ask Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva to remove?
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.