Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.13.26
Mukti· LiberationPurify the Mind Through Devotional Service
“A person who has thus achieved Me by understanding that he is not different from Me realizes that the material mind is lodged within the sense objects because of constant sense gratification, and that the material objects are existing prominently within the material mind. Having understood My transcendental nature, he gives up both the material mind and its objects.”
What the purport teaches
- Giving up the material mind does not mean stopping all mental activity. It means purifying the mind and engaging it in devotional service to the Lord.
- Mere renunciation cannot free us from material existence without surrender to the Lord. Like rays belonging to the sun, living entities are parts of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- Absorbing the mind in the Lord’s form, qualities, pastimes and associates drives away the influence of sense gratification. Worshiping Him as His eternal servant brings the Lord’s potency, which removes ignorance.
Try this today
Spend a quiet minute remembering a quality of the Lord, with the intention of serving Him rather than seeking your own enjoyment.
Ask yourself
Am I merely trying to suppress desires, or am I engaging my mind in the Lord’s service?
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.