Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.14.25
Mukti· LiberationKnowledge of Kṛṣṇa Dispels Illusion and Fear
“A person who mistakes a rope for a snake becomes fearful, but he then gives up his fear upon realizing that the so-called snake does not exist. Similarly, for those who fail to recognize You as the Supreme Soul of all souls, the expansive illusory material existence arises, but knowledge of You at once causes it to subside.”
What the purport teaches
- Mistaking a rope for a snake produces fear; recognizing the rope removes that fear. Similarly, failing to recognize Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Soul gives rise to illusory material existence.
- Those submerged in material illusion imagine material existence to be unlimited. Yet material nature is not ultimate reality, and studying matter alone cannot answer ultimate questions.
- Life covered by ignorance is fearful because everything within it is born and dies. This dark, snakelike existence disappears when one opens one’s eyes to the light of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Try this today
Spend one minute reflecting on the translation’s description of Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Soul of all souls.
Ask yourself
How does the rope-and-snake example help you see the connection between ignorance and fear?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.