Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.23.51
Mukti· LiberationSurrender to Kṛṣṇa Beyond Bodily Duality
“If you say that the demigods who rule the bodily senses cause suffering, still, how can such suffering apply to the spirit soul? This acting and being acted upon are merely interactions of the changeable senses and their presiding deities. When one limb of the body attacks another, with whom can the person in that body be angry?”
What the purport teaches
- Self-realization means understanding oneself as distinct from the material body, mind and the demigods who control them.
- Material happiness and distress are two sides of the same coin. Identifying with the body to enjoy its pleasures also exposes one to its inevitable pains.
- By surrendering to Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and reservoir of all pleasure, one can reach the spiritual platform. There, transcendental bliss is free from interrupting anxiety and unhappiness.
Try this today
Offer a brief prayer to Lord Kṛṣṇa today, asking to take shelter of Him rather than depend on bodily comfort.
Ask yourself
Am I seeking lasting happiness in bodily pleasures that also bring unavoidable distress?
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.