Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 8.22.11
Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protectionRecognize Mercy Beyond Material Prosperity
“Only by providence have I been forcibly brought under Your lotus feet and deprived of all my opulence. Because of the illusion created by temporary opulence, people in general, who live under material conditions, facing accidental death at every moment, do not understand that this life is temporary. Only by providence have I been saved from that condition.”
What the purport teaches
- Bali Mahārāja recognized Lord Viṣṇu as the family’s best friend, not its enemy. He saw the loss of his opulence as special favor bringing him toward eternal life.
- Temporary opulence can bewilder people into forgetting that life is temporary and death may come at any moment.
- Those established in Kṛṣṇa consciousness understand life’s aim and avoid the race for material prosperity. If a sincere devotee falls, the Lord corrects him and saves him from a bewildered materialistic life.
Try this today
Replace ten minutes of pursuing an unnecessary material gain with devotional service today.
Ask yourself
Am I measuring the Lord’s favor mainly by material prosperity or by progress in devotional life?
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.