Śrīmad Bhāgavatam Class
ŚB 6.11.24
Speaker: Bhakti Abhaya Ashrama Swami
January 20, 2025Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
Canto 6: Prescribed Duties for Mankind >> CHAPTER ELEVEN:
The Transcendental Qualities of Vṛtrāsura
- O my Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, will I again be able to be a servant of Your eternal servants who find shelter only at Your lotus feet? O Lord of my life, may I again become their servant so that my mind may always think of Your transcendental attributes, my words always glorify those attributes, and my body always engage in the loving service of Your Lordship?

Zoom Meeting – January 20
VIEW RECORDING – 88 mins (50 secs of highlights)
Meeting Purpose
Key Takeaways
- The verse summarizes the essence of devotional service: becoming a servant of the Lord’s eternal servants
- Engaging one’s body, mind and words fully in Krishna’s service is the sum and substance of bhakti
- Effective communication requires adapting to one’s audience while maintaining the core message
- Writing by hand can provide a stronger mind-body connection than typing for some creative processes
Topics
Essence of Devotional Service
- Vritrasura expresses desire to be servant of the Lord’s eternal servants
- Prabhupada emphasizes this as “sum and substance of devotional life”
- Engaging body, mind and words fully in Krishna’s service
- Following spiritual master’s instructions to serve properly
Effective Communication
- Aristotle’s four elements of rhetoric: logos, ethos, pathos, kairos
- Importance of understanding one’s audience and adapting accordingly
- Balance between concise expression and providing sufficient context
- Cultural differences in communication styles (e.g. Eastern European vs American)
Writing Practices
- Handwriting vs typing – potential benefits of handwriting for creativity
- “Morning pages” exercise of writing 3 pages to prime creativity
- Concerns about loss of handwriting skills in younger generations
- Historical perspective on technological changes in communication
Serving the Spiritual Master
- Story of Krishna and Sudama serving their guru by gathering firewood
- Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s emphasis on serving under senior devotees
- Importance of humility and proper understanding of one’s position
Next Steps
- Attendees to review full story of Krishna and Sudama serving their guru
- Consider incorporating handwriting practices into devotional journaling
- Reflect on how to better engage body, mind and words in Krishna’s service
- Prepare questions for next class, as Narahari Prabhu may not be present
Annotations
HIGHLIGHT
- Swami discusses birth origins and distinctions between Pucti and other entities – WATCH (20 secs)
- Swami discusses birth origins and distinctions between Pucti and other entities – WATCH (25 secs)
About the speaker


