Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.23.53
Mukti· LiberationThe Soul Is Beyond Planetary Effects
“And if we examine the hypothesis that the planets are the immediate cause of suffering and happiness, then also where is the relationship with the soul, who is eternal? After all, the effect of the planets applies only to things that have taken birth. Expert astrologers have moreover explained how the planets are only causing pain to each other. Therefore, since the living entity is distinct from these planets and from the material body, against whom should he vent his anger?”
What the purport teaches
- The verse examines the idea that planets directly cause happiness and suffering. Their effects apply only to things that have taken birth, not to the eternal soul.
- Expert astrologers describe the planets as causing pain to each other. The living entity is distinct from both the planets and the material body.
- Recognizing this distinction removes the basis for directing anger at the planets. The verse asks whom the soul should blame.
Try this today
When something unpleasant happens today, pause before blaming it on planetary influences and recall that the soul is eternal.
Ask yourself
How might remembering that you are distinct from the body change your tendency to blame planetary influences?
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.