Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.3.33
Mukti· LiberationSelf-Realization Leads to Service of the Lord
“Whenever a person experiences, by self-realization, that both the gross and subtle bodies have nothing to do with the pure self, at that time he sees himself as well as the Lord.”
What the purport teaches
- The gross and subtle bodies are superficial coverings of the self, imposed through ignorance. These coverings never affect the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- Self-realization means becoming serious about the activities of the self rather than calculating self-interest only in terms of body and mind. One engaged in the self’s true activities is called jīvan-mukta, liberated even in conditioned existence.
- Perfect self-realization is attained under the lotus feet of the Lord, not by artificial means. By His mercy, forgetfulness is removed, and the living being serves Him in the eternal constitutional position.
Try this today
Offer a brief prayer asking the Lord to free you from forgetfulness and help you engage in His service.
Ask yourself
Am I treating service to the Lord as my true self-interest?
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.