Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.20.10
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyDuty Without Desire for Material Rewards
“My dear Uddhava, a person who is situated in his prescribed duty, properly worshiping by Vedic sacrifices but not desiring the fruitive result of such worship, will not go to the heavenly planets; similarly, by not performing forbidden activities he will not go to hell.”
What the purport teaches
- The perfection of karma-yoga is to perform prescribed duties without desiring fruitive rewards. Such a person does not waste time in heavenly sense gratification.
- One who neither neglects prescribed duty nor performs forbidden activities avoids punishment in hell.
- By avoiding material rewards and punishments, a desireless person can rise to pure devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Try this today
Complete one prescribed duty today without seeking praise or personal gain.
Ask yourself
Which duty could I perform without expecting a material reward?
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.