Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.10.33
Ūti· What drives us to actFalse Independence Brings Fear and Grief
“The conditioned soul who remains dependent on fruitive activities under the material modes of nature will continue to fear Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, since I impose the results of one’s fruitive activities. Those who accept the material concept of life, taking the variegatedness of the modes of nature to be factual, devote themselves to material enjoyment and are therefore always absorbed in lamentation and grief.”
What the purport teaches
- The conditioned soul remains afraid of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who imposes the results of fruitive activities. Although aware of dependence on superior powers, the soul does not want to serve the Supreme Lord.
- Māyā first covers the living entity, taking away discrimination, and then throws him into ignorance. Thinking himself independent of Lord Kṛṣṇa, he seeks enjoyment in temporary material objects.
- The conditioned soul imagines that he controls his life, although he lacks actual controlling potency. As time takes away his possessions, he becomes filled with fear, anxiety and lamentation.
Try this today
When one worry about a possession arises today, pause to acknowledge your dependence on Lord Kṛṣṇa and your need to serve Him.
Ask yourself
Does fear of losing a material arrangement reveal where I am imagining myself independent of Kṛṣṇa?
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.