Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 8.19.20
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesGive Enough to Meet Real Needs
“O small boy, one who approaches me to beg something should not have to ask anything more, anywhere. Therefore, if You wish, You may ask from me as much land as will suffice to maintain You according to Your needs.”
What the purport teaches
- Bali wanted anyone who approached him for charity to have no need to beg elsewhere afterward.
- He invited the small boy to ask for more land if He wished.
- His offer was for enough land to maintain the recipient according to His needs.
Try this today
For one person you can help today, ask what small, practical need you can reasonably meet.
Ask yourself
When you help someone, do you consider what would adequately meet their need?
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.