Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.23.9
Ūti· What drives us to actPetty Desires Obstruct Hearing Kṛṣṇa
“The brāhmaṇas heard this supplication from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, yet they refused to pay heed. Indeed, they were full of petty desires and entangled in elaborate rituals. Though presuming themselves advanced in Vedic learning, they were actually inexperienced fools.”
What the purport teaches
- The brāhmaṇas heard the Supreme Lord’s request but refused to pay heed. They presumed themselves learned while remaining entangled in elaborate rituals.
- Petty desires, such as reaching material heaven, kept them from recognizing the precious spiritual opportunity brought by Kṛṣṇa’s personal friends.
- The purport warns that people absorbed in material advancement likewise fail to hear Kṛṣṇa’s message being spread through the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
Try this today
Set aside one material distraction for five minutes and attentively reread this verse and purport.
Ask yourself
What material concern most often distracts you from hearing Kṛṣṇa’s message?
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.