Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 8.6.31
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesDevotion Makes the Essential Difference
“The proposals submitted by King Indra were immediately accepted by Bali Mahārāja and his assistants, headed by Śambara and Ariṣṭanemi, and by all the other residents of Tripura.”
What the purport teaches
- Bali Mahārāja and his associates immediately accepted the proposal to produce nectar. The purport explains that politics, diplomacy and cheating exist even in the upper planetary systems.
- The demons intended to take the nectar from the weakened demigods for themselves, and the demigods had similar intentions. The essential difference was that Lord Viṣṇu supported the demigods because they were His devotees.
- The demons did not care about Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The purport distinguishes the God-conscious party from the godless party and locates happiness and victory on the God-conscious side.
Try this today
Before one decision today, pause and ask whether it supports your devotional service to the Lord.
Ask yourself
Am I seeking only my own advantage, or am I caring about the Lord and His 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.