Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.23.52
Mukti· LiberationTrue Happiness Is in Devotional Service
“If the soul himself were the cause of happiness and distress, then we could not blame others, since happiness and distress would be simply the nature of the soul. According to this theory, nothing except the soul actually exists, and if we were to perceive something besides the soul, that would be illusion. Therefore, since happiness and distress do not actually exist in this concept, why become angry at oneself or others?”
What the purport teaches
- Pleasure and pain are experienced through consciousness, but material enjoyment and suffering are not the soul’s original function. They arise from ignorant affection and enmity based on false ego.
- Sense gratification draws consciousness into bodily identification and its inevitable pains. On the spiritual platform, consciousness is fully engaged in devotional service to the Supreme Lord without personal desire.
- This devotional service is the actual position of happiness, beyond material happiness and distress. Rather than becoming uselessly angry, one should take to self-realization.
Try this today
Set aside a few minutes today for devotional service to the Supreme Lord, without asking for personal gain.
Ask yourself
How can I turn energy spent on blame toward devotional service?
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.