Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.15.42
Mukti· LiberationRealize Your Spiritual Nature Through Service
“Thus annihilating the gross body of five elements into the three qualitative modes of material nature, he merged them in one nescience and then absorbed that nescience in the self, Brahman, which is inexhaustible in all circumstances.”
What the purport teaches
- The living entity is different from material products and is the Lord’s eternal servant. Forgetting this nature leads to the false conception of being lord of material nature.
- Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira no longer thought of himself as Emperor or head of the Kuru dynasty. Freedom from material identification allows one to serve the Lord even while in the material world.
- One must not merely think oneself Brahman, or pure spirit, but must act accordingly. The pure devotee expresses spiritual realization through service to the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead.
Try this today
Before one act of service today, pause and remember, “I am the Lord’s servant, not the master of material nature.”
Ask yourself
Does my understanding of myself as spirit lead me to act as the Lord’s servant?
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.