Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 9.7.25-26
Mukti· LiberationSpiritual Knowledge Leads to Service and Freedom
“Mahārāja Hariścandra first purified his mind, which was full of material enjoyment, by amalgamating it with the earth. Then he amalgamated the earth with water, the water with fire, the fire with the air, and the air with the sky. Thereafter, he amalgamated the sky with the total material energy, and the total material energy with spiritual knowledge. This spiritual knowledge is realization of one’s self as part of the Supreme Lord. When the self-realized spiritual soul is engaged in service to the Lord, he is eternally imperceptible and inconceivable. Thus established in spiritual knowledge, he is completely freed from material bondage.”
What the purport teaches
- Mahārāja Hariścandra purified his mind, which was full of material enjoyment. He progressively amalgamated it with the earth, then the earth with water, water with fire, fire with air, and air with sky.
- He then amalgamated the sky with the total material energy, and that energy with spiritual knowledge. Spiritual knowledge means realizing oneself as part of the Supreme Lord.
- When the self-realized spiritual soul engages in service to the Lord, he is eternally imperceptible and inconceivable. Established in spiritual knowledge, he is completely freed from material bondage.
Try this today
Take one quiet minute today to reflect, “I am part of the Supreme Lord, and my purpose is to serve Him.”
Ask yourself
How might remembering that I am part of the Supreme Lord turn my attention from material enjoyment toward 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.