Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.3.30
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesTake Responsibility and Humbly Seek Forgiveness
“[Then Yamarāja, considering himself and his servants to be offenders, spoke as follows, begging pardon from the Lord.] O my Lord, my servants have surely committed a great offense by arresting a Vaiṣṇava such as Ajāmila. O Nārāyaṇa, O supreme and oldest person, please forgive us. Because of our ignorance, we failed to recognize Ajāmila as a servant of Your Lordship, and thus we have certainly committed a great offense. Therefore with folded hands we beg Your pardon. My Lord, since You are supremely merciful and are always full of good qualities, please pardon us. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You.”
What the purport teaches
- Yamarāja took responsibility for his servants’ offense in attempting to arrest Ajāmila. A master is responsible for the mistakes of his servants.
- Although Yamarāja is above offenses, he took this responsibility seriously. He joined his servants in praying with folded hands for forgiveness.
- Their prayer appeals to the mercy and good qualities of Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They acknowledge their ignorance and offer respectful obeisances.
Try this today
With folded hands, offer a brief prayer asking the Lord to forgive offenses you have committed through ignorance.
Ask yourself
When something goes wrong under my responsibility, do I acknowledge my part or shift the blame?
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.