Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.21.24
Ūti· What drives us to actBodily Attachment Defeats Our Real Interest
“Simply by material birth, human beings become attached within their minds to personal sense gratification, long duration of life, sense activities, bodily strength, sexual potency and friends and family. Their minds are thus absorbed in that which defeats their actual self-interest.”
What the purport teaches
- Material birth brings attachment to sense gratification, bodily powers, long life, friends and family. These attachments absorb the mind in things that defeat our actual self-interest.
- Attachment to our body and the bodies of others leads to anxiety and suffering. A mind absorbed in bodily identity cannot advance in self-realization.
- The conditioned soul dreams of a world separate from God. Actual progress comes through Kṛṣṇa consciousness, recognizing the Lord as the supreme enjoyer and Lord of all worlds.
Try this today
When one bodily worry arises today, pause and remember that Kṛṣṇa is the supreme enjoyer and Lord of all worlds.
Ask yourself
Which bodily attachment most often draws my attention away from self-realization?
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.