Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.21.32
Ūti· What drives us to actDevotion Beyond the Material Modes
“Those established in material passion, goodness and ignorance worship the particular demigods and other deities, headed by Indra, who manifest the same modes of passion, goodness or ignorance. They fail, however, to properly worship Me.”
What the purport teaches
- People established in passion, goodness and ignorance worship deities who manifest those same modes. They do not properly worship the Supreme Lord.
- The demigods are part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Worship that fosters the idea that they exist apart from Him is an improper approach to the Absolute Truth.
- Even someone who accepts the Lord’s supremacy may desire the demigods’ standard of living. This proud tendency obstructs loving service to the Supreme Lord and ultimately causes falldown.
Try this today
Offer one prayer to Kṛṣṇa today asking for loving service rather than improved material enjoyment.
Ask yourself
Am I seeking loving service to the Supreme Lord, or a higher standard of material enjoyment?
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.