Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.16.56
Ūti· What drives us to actMaterial Attachment Ends in Distress
“The serpent Kāliya said: Our very birth as a snake has made us envious, ignorant and constantly angry. O my Lord, it is so difficult for people to give up their conditioned nature, by which they identify with that which is unreal.”
What the purport teaches
- Kāliya acknowledged his envy, ignorance and constant anger. He admitted how difficult it is to give up one’s conditioned nature.
- In his wretched condition, Kāliya could not compose original prayers, so he paraphrased prayers offered by his wives.
- Asad-graha means seizing upon impermanent and impure things, including bodies and material sense objects. Such attachment ultimately brings frustration, disappointment and anguish.
Try this today
Name one material attachment that troubles you, and honestly acknowledge it in a prayer to the Lord.
Ask yourself
Which impermanent attachment has brought you disappointment rather than lasting satisfaction?
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.