Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.11.22
Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protectionPossessions Are Meant for the Lord’s Service
“Persons who fully surrender at the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and always think of His lotus feet are accepted and recognized by the Lord as His own personal assistants or servants. The Lord never bestows upon such servants the brilliant opulences of the upper, lower and middle planetary systems of this material world. When one possesses material opulence in any of these three divisions of the universe, his possessions naturally increase his enmity, anxiety, mental agitation, pride and belligerence. Thus one goes through much endeavor to increase and maintain his possessions, and he suffers great unhappiness when he loses them.”
What the purport teaches
- The Lord recognizes those who fully surrender and always think of His lotus feet as His own servants. He rewards devotees according to their surrender and desires.
- Material possessions require hard labor and bring rivalry, envy, anxiety and distress when lost. Vṛtrāsura understood this and did not want material possessions.
- Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, may arrange possessions to facilitate a devotee’s devotional activities. Such possessions differ from those of a karmī because the devotee uses them only in the Lord’s service.
Try this today
Choose one possession today and use it for a specific act of devotional service.
Ask yourself
How could I use something I possess for the Lord’s service rather than for my own pride?
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.