Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.17.39
Ūti· What drives us to actGold Can Nourish Corruption
“The personality of Kali asked for something more, and because of his begging, the King gave him permission to live where there is gold because wherever there is gold there is also falsity, intoxication, lust, envy and enmity.”
What the purport teaches
- Kali struggled to find the four permitted places during Mahārāja Parīkṣit’s reign. He therefore asked for a more practical place to live.
- The King permitted Kali to live where there was gold. The text connects gold with falsity, intoxication, lust, envy and enmity.
- The purport criticizes issuing currency beyond the value of reserved gold as a form of falsity. It recommends actual gold coins and limits on ornaments to check the misuse of gold.
Try this today
Pause before one nonessential purchase today and examine whether envy or display is motivating it.
Ask yourself
Does my desire for wealth or ornaments encourage envy, rivalry or dishonesty?
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.