Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.24.14
Ūti· What drives us to actThe Supreme Lord Is Above Karma
“Even if there is some supreme controller who awards all others the results of their activities, He must also depend upon a performer’s engaging in activity. After all, there is no question of being the bestower of fruitive results unless fruitive activities have actually been performed.”
What the purport teaches
- Kṛṣṇa playfully argues that a controller who awards results must depend on people’s actions. The purport explains that this superficial argument is not His actual conclusion.
- The Supreme Lord creates and sustains the laws of karma, so He is not subject to them. Complete within Himself, He mercifully uses rewards and punishments to encourage souls toward perfect consciousness while preserving their freedom.
- The Lord’s loving exchanges with His pure devotees are freely offered, not mechanical transactions. He invites conditioned souls to return to Him for an eternal life of bliss and knowledge.
Try this today
Offer one brief prayer today expressing a wish to serve the Lord without asking for a material return.
Ask yourself
Am I approaching the Lord with love or mainly seeking a reward?
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.