Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.18.33
Mukti· LiberationRemain Steady Through Changes in Food
“If at times one does not obtain proper food one should not be depressed, and when one obtains sumptuous food one should not rejoice. Being fixed in determination, one should understand both situations to be under the control of God.”
What the purport teaches
- One should not become depressed when proper food is unavailable or rejoice when sumptuous food arrives. Both situations are under God’s control.
- The desire to enjoy the material body brings flickering happiness and inevitable suffering.
- Falsely considering ourselves controllers and doers subjects us to the changing feelings of the body and mind. The verse asks us to remain fixed in determination.
Try this today
At one meal today, notice any disappointment or excitement and remember that both scarcity and abundance are under God’s control.
Ask yourself
How much does the quality of my food determine my mood?
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.