Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.18.26
Mukti· LiberationPerishable Things Are Not Ultimate Reality
“One should never see as ultimate reality those material things which obviously will perish. With consciousness free from material attachment, one should retire from all activities meant for material progress in this life and the next.”
What the purport teaches
- Material objects should never be regarded as ultimate reality. Their eventual destruction is evident.
- Even sumptuous food and the material body are perishable. Their temporary appeal does not make them an enduring foundation for life.
- One should become free from material attachment and withdraw from programs of material advancement in this life and the next. Such programs merely improve the quality of one's illusion.
Try this today
Before pursuing one unnecessary luxury today, pause to consider its temporary nature and choose to go without it.
Ask yourself
What perishable comfort am I treating as though it were an enduring source of fulfillment?
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.