Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.4.30
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesPreparation Is Not the Ultimate Achievement
“I am feeling incomplete, though I myself am fully equipped with everything required by the Vedas.”
What the purport teaches
- Śrīla Vyāsadeva was complete in all the details of Vedic achievements, yet he felt incomplete.
- The activities prescribed in the Vedas can purify the living being submerged in matter. The ultimate achievement, however, is different from this preparation.
- Without that ultimate achievement, even a fully equipped person cannot reach the normal transcendental condition. Śrīla Vyāsadeva therefore felt dissatisfied.
Try this today
Write down one way you may be confusing spiritual preparation with spiritual completion.
Ask yourself
Do I mistake being well prepared or knowledgeable for having reached the ultimate goal?
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.