Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 8.23.17
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyObeying the Lord Is Our First Duty
“Lord Viṣṇu, I must nonetheless act in obedience to Your order because obeying Your order is most auspicious and is the first duty of everyone.”
What the purport teaches
- Śukrācārya tells Lord Viṣṇu that he must act in obedience to His order.
- He recognizes that obeying the Lord’s order is most auspicious.
- Obedience to the Lord is described as everyone’s first duty, not merely Śukrācārya’s personal responsibility.
Try this today
Before your devotional service today, pause and remember that serving the Lord takes priority over personal preference.
Ask yourself
Do I view obedience to the Lord as a welcome duty or an interruption to my plans?
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.