Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.26.13
Ūti· What drives us to actHumility Opens the Way to Clarity
“To hell with me! I am such a fool that I didn’t even know what was good for me, although I arrogantly thought I was highly intelligent. Although I achieved the exalted position of a lord, I allowed myself to be conquered by women as if I were a bullock or a jackass.”
What the purport teaches
- Purūravā admits that he did not know his own best interest, although he imagined himself highly intelligent. His exalted position did not keep him from being conquered by lust.
- The purport describes how people may consider themselves wise while sense gratification makes them act like bullocks and jackasses.
- By the mercy of a saintly spiritual master, the lusty propensity can gradually be removed. Purūravā is coming to his senses in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Try this today
Write down one attachment for which you need the guidance of a saintly spiritual master.
Ask yourself
Where might pride in my intelligence hide a need for spiritual guidance?
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.