Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.10.17
Ūti· What drives us to actMaterial Work Cannot Secure Lasting Happiness
“Although the performer of fruitive activities desires perpetual happiness, it is clearly observed that materialistic workers are often unhappy and only occasionally satisfied, thus proving that they are not independent or in control of their destiny. When a person is always under the superior control of another, how can he expect any valuable results from his own fruitive actions?”
What the purport teaches
- People working for material rewards desire lasting happiness, yet they are often unhappy and only occasionally satisfied. This shows that they are not independent or fully in control of their destiny.
- Time brings both happiness and misery, and no one willingly chooses disease, old age or death. These unwanted experiences reveal that everyone is under superior control.
- Material activities ultimately end in destruction and cannot deliver lasting security. Without faith in devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa, their eventual result is repeated birth and death.
Try this today
Set aside a few minutes today to study this teaching as devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa, rather than seeking another temporary reward.
Ask yourself
Where am I expecting material effort to provide happiness that it cannot guarantee?
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.