Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.22.56
Ūti· What drives us to actAwaken from False Bodily Identification
“For one who is meditating on sense gratification, material life, although lacking factual existence, does not go away, just as the unpleasant experiences of a dream do not.”
What the purport teaches
- Material life continues for one absorbed in sense gratification, just as a frightening dream continues while one sleeps. Calling it false does not mean that no effort is needed to leave it.
- Both the spirit soul and the body exist, but identifying the soul with the body is false. Material life rests on this mistaken identification.
- Even someone engaged in devotional service may be troubled by dim reflections of sinful life. Hearing Lord Kṛṣṇa’s instructions to Śrī Uddhava strengthens one in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Try this today
Spend a few minutes reading aloud Lord Kṛṣṇa’s instruction in this verse, with attention to its meaning.
Ask yourself
Which bodily role do I most often treat as my whole identity?
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.