Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 7.9.28
Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protectionServe the Spiritual Master First
“My dear Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, because of my association with material desires, one after another, I was gradually falling into a blind well full of snakes, following the general populace. But Your servant Nārada Muni kindly accepted me as his disciple and instructed me how to achieve this transcendental position. Therefore, my first duty is to serve him. How could I leave his service?”
What the purport teaches
- Prahlāda Mahārāja describes material desires as leading him into a blind well full of snakes. Nārada Muni kindly accepted and instructed him, bringing him to a transcendental position.
- A pure devotee does not bypass the spiritual master to seek direct service to the Lord. Prahlāda therefore prayed to continue serving Nārada Muni.
- By the mercy of the spiritual master and Kṛṣṇa, one receives the seed of devotional service. First pleasing the spiritual master is the process for approaching the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Try this today
Choose one instruction from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s purport here and put it into practice today as service to the spiritual master.
Ask yourself
How can I show gratitude for the spiritual instruction I have received?
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.