Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.9.40
Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protectionGrow Toward Service Without Material Demands
“O Lord, O personified three worlds, father of the three worlds! O strength of the three worlds, in the form of the Vāmana incarnation! O three-eyed form of Nṛsiṁhadeva! O most beautiful person within the three worlds! Everything and everyone, including human beings and even the Daitya demons and the Dānavas, is but an expansion of Your energy. O supremely powerful one, You have always appeared in Your forms as the various incarnations to punish the demons as soon as they become very powerful. You appear as Lord Vāmanadeva, Lord Rāma and Lord Kṛṣṇa. You appear sometimes as an animal like Lord Boar, sometimes a mixed incarnation like Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva and Lord Hayagrīva, and sometimes an aquatic like Lord Fish and Lord Tortoise. Assuming such various forms, You have always punished the demons and Dānavas. We therefore pray that Your Lordship appear today as another incarnation, if You so desire, to kill the great demon Vṛtrāsura.”
What the purport teaches
- Sakāma devotees still desire material enjoyment, while akāma devotees are free from such desires. Those who seek the Lord’s help in difficulty are nevertheless pious because they depend on His mercy.
- Pure devotees do not ask the Lord for material benefits, even in danger. Amid difficulties, they offer prayers and service more enthusiastically and become firmly fixed in devotional service.
- The Lord protects His devotees through His powerful incarnations. Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead.
Try this today
Offer one short prayer today expressing your wish to serve the Lord without asking for a material benefit.
Ask yourself
Do my prayers mainly seek material relief, or do they also express a desire to serve?
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.