Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 8.15.1-2
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesAsk Eagerly About the Lord’s Actions
“Mahārāja Parīkṣit inquired: The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the proprietor of everything. Why did He beg three paces of land from Bali Mahārāja like a poor man, and when He got the gift for which He had begged, why did He nonetheless arrest Bali Mahārāja? I am very much anxious to know the mystery of these contradictions.”
What the purport teaches
- Mahārāja Parīkṣit recognizes that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the proprietor of everything.
- He asks why the Lord begged three paces of land from Bali Mahārāja like a poor man.
- He also asks why the Lord arrested Bali Mahārāja after receiving his gift. These apparent contradictions awaken his eagerness to understand.
Try this today
Write down one question you would like to understand from this account, following Mahārāja Parīkṣit’s example of eager inquiry.
Ask yourself
How can you turn something you do not understand about the Lord’s actions into a sincere question?
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.