Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 7.8.43
Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protectionHuman Life Is Meant for Self-Realization
“All the saintly persons present offered their prayers in this way: O Lord, O supreme maintainer of those sheltered at Your lotus feet, O original Personality of Godhead, the process of austerity and penance, in which You instructed us before, is the spiritual power of Your very self. It is by austerity that You create the material world, which lies dormant within You. This austerity was almost stopped by the activities of this demon, but now, by Yourself appearing in the form of Nṛsiṁhadeva, which is meant just to give us protection, and by killing this demon, You have again approved the process of austerity.”
What the purport teaches
- Among the many forms of life, human life offers an opportunity for self-realization. Its main duty is tapasya, or austerity.
- Austerity is necessary to purify our material existence. Under demoniac influence, people forget this duty and gradually become demoniac themselves.
- By appearing as Nṛsiṁhadeva and killing Hiraṇyakaśipu, the Lord protected the saintly persons. He reaffirmed that human life is meant for austerity for self-realization.
Try this today
Give up one small comfort today and use that time to reflect on self-realization.
Ask yourself
Am I using my human life for self-realization, or only for comfort?
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.