Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.24.26
Ūti· What drives us to actFollow Great Devotees with Sincere Humility
“Bali Mahārāja said: Persons like us, who are still attached to material enjoyment, who are contaminated by the modes of material nature and who lack the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, cannot follow the supreme path of Prahlāda Mahārāja, the exalted devotee of the Lord.”
What the purport teaches
- The path of bhakti is not difficult when we follow previous ācāryas and authorities. Strong contamination by the modes of material nature prevents one from following them.
- Bali Mahārāja was actually following Prahlāda Mahārāja’s path, yet his great humility made him think that he was not.
- Advanced Vaiṣṇavas sincerely consider themselves ordinary human beings. Their humility is not an artificial display.
Try this today
Identify one attachment that makes following devotional instruction difficult, and make one small effort to set it aside today.
Ask yourself
How can I follow the great devotees without imagining myself spiritually exalted?
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.