Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 7.13.23
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesAnswer by Hearing From Authorities
“My dear King, although you know everything, you have posed some questions, which I shall try to answer according to what I have learned by hearing from authorities. I cannot remain silent in this regard, for a personality like you is just fit to be spoken to by one who desires self-purification.”
What the purport teaches
- A saintly person is grave and generally speaks when someone is prepared to receive instruction. Prahlāda Mahārāja was fit to be addressed, so the saintly brāhmaṇa answered his questions.
- The answers were not manufactured. Yathā-śrutam means answering according to what one has heard from authorities.
- In the paramparā system, genuine questions receive genuine answers grounded in the śāstras. Evidence from Vedic literature protects one's words from mental concoction.
Try this today
Reread one statement from this purport and explain it in your own words without adding an unsupported idea.
Ask yourself
When I discuss spiritual life, do I rely on authoritative teachings or my own guesses?
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.