Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 7.3.19
Ūti· What drives us to actAn Extraordinary Austerity Beyond Ordinary Capacity
“Even saintly persons like Bhṛgu, born previously, could not perform such severe austerities, nor will anyone in the future be able to do so. Who within these three worlds can sustain his life without even drinking water for one hundred celestial years?”
What the purport teaches
- Brahmā said that even earlier saintly persons such as Bhṛgu had not performed austerities like Hiraṇyakaśipu’s.
- Hiraṇyakaśipu sustained his life without drinking water for one hundred celestial years. Brahmā described this endurance as unmatched, even in the future.
- The purport attributes this extraordinary survival to the yogic process. A yogī could remain alive even while ants and moths consumed his outer body.
Try this today
Reread Brahmā’s description and note the phrase that most clearly shows how exceptional this austerity was.
Ask yourself
What helps me recognize the difference between an extraordinary account and something within my own capacity?
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.