Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.10.16
Mukti· LiberationKeep the Body Fit for Spiritual Advancement
“Always hungry, longing for sufficient food, a poverty-stricken man gradually becomes weaker and weaker. Having no extra potency, his senses are automatically pacified. A poverty-stricken man, therefore, is unable to perform harmful, envious activities. In other words, such a man automatically gains the results of the austerities and penances adopted voluntarily by saintly persons.”
What the purport teaches
- The translation describes how poverty and hunger weaken the senses and reduce the capacity for harmful, envious activities.
- The purport advises neither overeating nor undereating. We should eat frugally and keep the body fit for advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
- The real business of human life is advancement in spiritual realization. Strengthening the senses unnecessarily can increase disease, envy and a fighting spirit.
Try this today
Eat one moderate, nourishing meal today with the intention of keeping your body fit for Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Ask yourself
Do my eating habits support spiritual advancement or unnecessary sense gratification?
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.