Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.8.27
Ūti· What drives us to actLifelong Thoughts Shape Our Final Remembrance
“At the time of death, the King saw that the deer was sitting by his side, exactly like his own son, and was lamenting his death. Actually the mind of the King was absorbed in the body of the deer, and consequently — like those bereft of Kṛṣṇa consciousness — he left the world, the deer, and his material body and acquired the body of a deer. However, there was one advantage. Although he lost his human body and received the body of a deer, he did not forget the incidents of his past life.”
What the purport teaches
- At death, a person thinks of what occupied the mind during life. Bharata Mahārāja's absorption in the deer led him to receive a deer's body.
- Because of his previous elevated devotional service, he remembered his past life. This special blessing saved him from further deterioration.
- By the Supreme Lord's grace, a devotee is never vanquished. Even after temporary correction for neglect, the devotee revives devotional service and returns home, back to Godhead.
Try this today
Spend two minutes today remembering the Supreme Lord without attending to another task.
Ask yourself
What am I training my mind to remember through my daily habits?
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.