Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.14.10
Ūti· What drives us to actExamining Competing Promises of Happiness
“Some say that people will be happy by performing pious religious activities. Others say that happiness is attained through fame, sense gratification, truthfulness, self-control, peace, self-interest, political influence, opulence, renunciation, consumption, sacrifice, penance, charity, vows, regulated duties or strict disciplinary regulation. Each process has its proponents.”
What the purport teaches
- Some recommend pious activities and skillful use of the laws of karma to remain materially well situated. Others seek fame or sense gratification.
- Honesty, self-control, peace of mind, law, order and political influence are also proposed as the highest good.
- Some recommend giving possessions away, while others recommend enjoying life as much as possible. Rituals, vows and penances also have their proponents and supporting texts.
Try this today
Write down one thing you pursued for happiness today and identify which viewpoint in this verse it resembles.
Ask yourself
Which proposed source of happiness most strongly shapes my daily choices?
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.