Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.10.11
Ūti· What drives us to actQuestion Your Claim to the Body
“While alive, does this body belong to its employer, to the self, to the father, the mother, or the mother’s father? Does it belong to the person who takes it away by force, to the slave master who purchases it, or to the sons who burn it in the fire? Or, if the body is not burned, does it belong to the dogs that eat it? Among the many possible claimants, who is the rightful claimant? Not to ascertain this but instead to maintain the body by sinful activities is not good.”
What the purport teaches
- The verse asks whether the body belongs to its employer, the self, its parents, or other possible claimants.
- Even those who take possession of the body or dispose of it after death may appear to have a claim. The verse asks who is its rightful claimant.
- To neglect this inquiry while maintaining the body through sinful activities is not good.
Try this today
Spend two minutes reflecting on the question, “To whom does this body belong?”
Ask yourself
How does considering the body's many possible claimants challenge my sense that it is simply mine?
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.