Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.12.17
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesVictory and Defeat Depend on Providence
“O my enemy, consider this battle a gambling match in which our lives are the stakes, the arrows are the dice, and the animals acting as carriers are the game board. No one can understand who will be defeated and who will be victorious. It all depends on providence.”
What the purport teaches
- The battle is compared to a gambling match in which the fighters’ lives are the stakes.
- The arrows are compared to dice, and the animals carrying the fighters to the game board. The comparison emphasizes the uncertainty of the battle’s outcome.
- Neither fighter can know who will win or lose. Victory and defeat depend on providence.
Try this today
Name one uncertain outcome today and acknowledge that victory or defeat is not yours to guarantee.
Ask yourself
Where am I treating an uncertain outcome as though I could guarantee it?
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.