Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.5.33
Mukti· LiberationService Spiritualizes Material Things
“O good soul, does not a thing, applied therapeutically, cure a disease which was caused by that very same thing?”
What the purport teaches
- Something that causes disease can, when properly treated, become its remedy. Similarly, material activities must be spiritualized to relieve the miseries of material existence.
- A thing’s material conception changes when it is put into the Lord’s service, just as iron becomes red-hot through fire. Employing matter in His service is the necessary condition for this change.
- We should neither try to dominate material nature nor simply reject material things. Using everything in relation to the Supreme Spirit elevates us toward the spiritual plane, free from misery, lamentation and fear.
Try this today
Use one item you already own to help you read or hear about the Lord today.
Ask yourself
What ordinary possession could I use in the Lord’s service rather than merely for my own enjoyment?
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.