Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 8.5.11-12
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesInquire About the Lord’s Wonderful Activities
“King Parīkṣit inquired: O great brāhmaṇa, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, why and how did Lord Viṣṇu churn the Ocean of Milk? For what reason did He stay in the water as a tortoise and hold up Mandara Mountain? How did the demigods obtain the nectar, and what other things were produced from the churning of the ocean? Kindly describe all these wonderful activities of the Lord.”
What the purport teaches
- King Parīkṣit asks Śukadeva Gosvāmī why and how Lord Viṣṇu churned the Ocean of Milk.
- He wants to understand why the Lord stayed in the water as a tortoise and held up Mandara Mountain.
- He also asks how the demigods obtained nectar and what else appeared from the ocean. His request centers on hearing the Lord’s wonderful activities.
Try this today
Read the translation again and write down one question you would like to explore.
Ask yourself
What would you like to understand more clearly about the Lord’s activities described here?
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.