Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.16.11
Mukti· LiberationDo Your Duty, Depend on the Lord
“The Supreme Lord [ātmā], the creator of cause and effect, does not accept the happiness and distress that result from fruitive actions. He is completely independent of having to accept a material body, and because He has no material body, He is always neutral. The living entities, being part and parcel of the Lord, possess His qualities in a minute quantity. Therefore one should not be affected by lamentation.”
What the purport teaches
- The Supreme Lord sits in everyone’s heart as the neutral witness. His neutrality means that He is not personally affected, not that He takes no action.
- Remaining undisturbed in circumstances such as the death of one’s son is very difficult. The best course is to depend upon the Lord, who knows how to adjust everything.
- One should perform one’s devotional duty and depend upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead for the results. Seeking shelter at His lotus feet frees one from being absorbed in material duality.
Try this today
Perform one small devotional duty today, consciously leaving its result to the Lord.
Ask yourself
Which result could I entrust to the Lord while still doing my duty?
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.