Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.13.34
Mukti· LiberationLook Beyond Flickering Material Appearances
“One should see that the material world is a distinct illusion appearing in the mind, because material objects have an extremely flickering existence and are here today and gone tomorrow. They can be compared to the streaking red line created by whirling a fiery stick. The spirit soul by nature exists in the single state of pure consciousness. However, in this world he appears in many different forms and stages of existence. The modes of nature divide the soul’s consciousness into normal wakefulness, dreaming and dreamless sleep. All such varieties of perception, however, are actually māyā and exist only like a dream.”
What the purport teaches
- Material objects are here today and gone tomorrow. Their flickering appearance is compared to the red line produced by whirling a fiery stick.
- The material mind jumps superficially from one conception of life to another. The soul’s original consciousness, however, is one.
- The modes of nature produce the varieties of waking, dreaming and deep sleep. Carefully studying their dreamlike, changing nature helps one detach from māyā.
Try this today
Notice one temporary material thing today and reflect for a minute on its changing nature.
Ask yourself
Which changing appearance am I treating as something lasting?
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.