Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.20.17 · one of the 108 chosen verses
Mukti· LiberationAccept Guidance Across Material Existence
“The human body, which can award all benefit in life, is automatically obtained by the laws of nature, although it is a very rare achievement. This human body can be compared to a perfectly constructed boat having the spiritual master as the captain and the instructions of the Personality of Godhead as favorable winds impelling it on its course. Considering all these advantages, a human being who does not utilize his human life to cross the ocean of material existence must be considered the killer of his own soul.”
What the purport teaches
- The rare human body is like a well-constructed boat capable of carrying one across material existence. Its purpose is service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- The bona fide spiritual master is the captain, and Lord Kṛṣṇa's instructions and mercy are favorable winds. The Lord guides through Vedic literature, the spiritual master and within the sincere devotee's heart.
- Accepting this merciful guidance moves a sincere soul toward Godhead. Neglecting these advantages works against one's own spiritual interest and wastes the opportunity of human life.
Try this today
Read one instruction of Lord Kṛṣṇa and identify one concrete way to follow it today.
Ask yourself
Am I making use of the guidance that can direct my life toward service to Kṛṣṇa?
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.