Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.46.41
Mukti· LiberationFalse Ego Distorts Our Understanding
“Just as a person who is whirling around perceives the ground to be turning, one who is affected by false ego thinks himself the doer, when actually only his mind is acting.”
What the purport teaches
- A person who whirls around sees the ground as turning. The apparent movement comes from the person’s own condition.
- Similarly, one affected by false ego thinks himself the doer, although only his mind is acting.
- Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains a parallel mistake: our interaction with material qualities causes happiness and distress, yet we perceive the Lord as their cause.
Try this today
Pause during one frustration today and consider your mind’s role before assigning blame.
Ask yourself
When distress arises, do you examine your own interaction with material qualities?
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.