Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 8.4.10
Ūti· What drives us to actBeyond Bodily Strength Lies Spiritual Fortune
“Agastya Muni then spoke this curse against the King: This King Indradyumna is not at all gentle. Being low and uneducated, he has insulted a brāhmaṇa. May he therefore enter the region of darkness and receive the dull, dumb body of an elephant.”
What the purport teaches
- An elephant has great bodily strength, but its intelligence is not commensurate with its size and strength. Despite its power, it works as a servant for a human being.
- Agastya Muni cursed the powerful King to become an elephant because he had not received him as one should receive a brāhmaṇa.
- The curse indirectly became a benediction: the elephant life ended the reactions of Indradyumna Mahārāja’s previous sins. He then became a personal associate of Nārāyaṇa in Vaikuṇṭhaloka, receiving sārūpya-mukti.
Try this today
Take one minute to reflect on why becoming the Lord’s associate is more valuable than bodily strength.
Ask yourself
Do I place more value on bodily power and position than on spiritual progress?
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.