Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 7.1.16
Mukti· LiberationDevotees Do Not Aspire to Merge
“Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira inquired: It is very wonderful that the demon Śiśupāla merged into the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead even though extremely envious. This sāyujya-mukti is impossible to attain even for great transcendentalists. How then did the enemy of the Lord attain it?”
What the purport teaches
- There are two classes of transcendentalists: jñānīs and bhaktas. Jñānīs aspire to merge into the Lord’s existence, but bhaktas do not.
- Śiśupāla was neither a jñānī nor a bhakta. Yet, despite his envy, he attained an exalted position by merging into the Lord’s body.
- Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira found this astonishing. He asked about the cause of the Lord’s mysterious mercy to Śiśupāla.
Try this today
Offer a brief prayer expressing your desire for devotional service rather than merging into the Lord.
Ask yourself
Is my spiritual aspiration to serve the Lord rather than to merge into His existence?
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.