Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.19.18
Mukti· LiberationMaterial Heaven Cannot Give Lasting Happiness
“An intelligent person should see that any material activity is subject to constant transformation and that even on the planet of Lord Brahmā there is thus simply unhappiness. Indeed, a wise man can understand that just as all that he has seen is temporary, similarly, all things within the universe have a beginning and an end.”
What the purport teaches
- Every material activity is subject to transformation. A wise person understands that everything within the universe has a beginning and an end.
- The heavenly life described in Vedic literature is temporary, just like the material conditions we directly experience.
- Lord Kṛṣṇa states that even on Lord Brahmā’s planet there is unhappiness. Higher planetary systems still contain rivalry, envy, irritation, lamentation and death.
Try this today
Write down one material improvement you long for, and note why it would still be subject to change.
Ask yourself
Am I imagining that a better material situation would free me from all unhappiness?
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.