Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 8.11.25
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesCalamities Occur Even in Higher Worlds
“The demigods, being severely oppressed by their enemies and being unable to see Indra on the battlefield, were very anxious. Having no captain or leader, they began lamenting like traders in a wrecked vessel in the midst of the ocean.”
What the purport teaches
- Unable to see Indra and severely oppressed by their enemies, the demigods became anxious. Without their leader, they lamented like traders shipwrecked in the ocean.
- Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that this statement suggests shipping and traders engaged in navigation in the upper planetary system. Even there, calamities such as shipwrecks occasionally occur.
- The upper planetary system in the Lord’s creation is not vacant. From Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam we understand that every planet is full of living entities, just as earth is.
Try this today
Write down the purport’s two teachings: other planets have living entities, and calamities occur even in higher worlds.
Ask yourself
How does this purport broaden your view of life and difficulties within the Lord’s creation?
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.