Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.20.22
Mukti· LiberationExamine Matter’s Temporary Nature
“Until one’s mind is fixed in spiritual satisfaction, one should analytically study the temporary nature of all material objects, whether cosmic, earthly or atomic. One should constantly observe the process of creation through the natural progressive function and the process of annihilation through the regressive function.”
What the purport teaches
- Until the mind is fixed in spiritual satisfaction, one should carefully study the temporary nature of material things. Observe how they come into being and are eventually destroyed.
- Spiritual intelligence helps ward off illusion by examining the temporary nature of material bodies, including one’s own. This analysis counters the mind’s attraction to bodily enjoyment.
- One advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness spontaneously avoids sense gratification and is drawn by spiritual love toward Lord Kṛṣṇa. Until then, one must remain vigilant against the desire to exploit material energy.
Try this today
Choose one material object you feel attached to and briefly consider its creation, changes and eventual destruction.
Ask yourself
How might seeing the temporary nature of something I desire change my attachment to it?
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.