Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.24.19
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutySeek Actual Prosperity, Not Merely Wealth
“If one thing is actually sustaining our life but we take shelter of something else, how can we achieve any real benefit? We would be like an unfaithful woman, who can never achieve any actual benefit by consorting with her paramour.”
What the purport teaches
- Kṣemam means actual prosperity, not merely accumulating money.
- Kṛṣṇa argues that neglecting the real source of one’s support cannot bring genuine benefit. The residents of Vṛndāvana would not become happy by neglecting that source and worshiping Indra instead.
- Kṛṣṇa’s boldness before His father and elders expressed transcendental anger. He was responding to the sight of His eternal devotees worshiping an insignificant demigod.
Try this today
Take one minute today to reflect on actual prosperity rather than financial gain, and turn your attention toward Kṛṣṇa.
Ask yourself
Do I measure prosperity only by money, or also consider where I take shelter?
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.