Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.11.23
Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protectionThe Lord’s Mercy Protects Pure Devotion
“Our Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, forbids His devotees to endeavor uselessly for religion, economic development and sense gratification. O Indra, one can thus infer how kind the Lord is. Such mercy is obtainable only by unalloyed devotees, not by persons who aspire for material gains.”
What the purport teaches
- A devotee desires only to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead, both in this life and in the next. Material benefits are not the goal of pure devotion.
- The Lord’s special mercy saves His unalloyed devotee from hard labor for the results of religion, economic development and sense gratification. Those who want such benefits may receive them instead.
- Indra desired material happiness in the heavenly planets, whereas Vṛtrāsura aspired only to serve the Lord. The Lord therefore arranged for Vṛtrāsura to go back to Godhead when his bodily bondage ended.
Try this today
Offer a brief prayer today asking for the desire to serve the Lord rather than for material gain.
Ask yourself
Am I seeking the Lord’s service itself, or mainly the benefits I hope it will bring?
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.