Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 8.5.49
Āśraya· The supreme shelterServe Everyone by Worshiping Kṛṣṇa
“When one pours water on the root of a tree, the trunk and branches of the tree are automatically pleased. Similarly, when one becomes a devotee of Lord Viṣṇu, everyone is served, for the Lord is the Supersoul of everyone.”
What the purport teaches
- Watering a tree’s root nourishes its trunk and branches. Similarly, worshiping Lord Viṣṇu serves everyone because He is everyone’s Supersoul.
- Worship of Lord Viṣṇu is the best worship, and worship of His devotee, the Vaiṣṇava, is still better. Worshiping Lord Viṣṇu can fulfill the results sought through worship of different demigods.
- Kṛṣṇa consciousness is meant for the welfare of the whole world, without discrimination by caste, creed, religion, or nationality. Worshiping Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and origin of viṣṇu-tattva, brings full satisfaction and perfection.
Try this today
Offer a brief prayer of worship to Kṛṣṇa today, remembering that service to Him benefits everyone.
Ask yourself
How does the image of watering the root broaden your understanding of devotional service?
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.