Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.2.38
Mukti· LiberationSteady the Mind Through Devotion
“Although the duality of the material world does not ultimately exist, the conditioned soul experiences it as real under the influence of his own conditioned intelligence. This imaginary experience of a world separate from Kṛṣṇa can be compared to the acts of dreaming and desiring. When the conditioned soul dreams at night of something desirable or horrible, or when he daydreams of what he would like to have or avoid, he creates a reality that has no existence beyond his own imagination. The tendency of the mind is to accept and reject various activities based on sense gratification. Therefore an intelligent person should control the mind, restricting it from the illusion of seeing things separate from Kṛṣṇa, and when the mind is thus controlled he will experience actual fearlessness.”
What the purport teaches
- The illusion is to experience a world separate from Kṛṣṇa, like a reality imagined in a dream. The soul remains spiritual but imagines itself to be a material creation.
- Control of the mind is a result of steady devotional service. Rather than accepting and rejecting things for sense enjoyment, we should act for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, the eternal master of every living entity.
- Hearing and chanting the Lord’s holy names and submissively hearing His instructions help overcome material illusion. This devotional life requires the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master.
Try this today
Spend two minutes chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, listening carefully to the holy names rather than following the mind’s changing desires.
Ask yourself
Where is my mind seeking enjoyment apart from Kṛṣṇa, and how could I redirect it toward His satisfaction?
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.