Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.26.17
Mukti· LiberationTake Responsibility Instead of Blaming Others
“How can I blame her for my trouble when I myself am ignorant of my real, spiritual nature? I did not control my senses, and so I am like a person who mistakenly sees a harmless rope as a snake.”
What the purport teaches
- Purūravā frankly admits that Urvaśī is not to blame. He was ignorant of his spiritual nature and had not controlled his senses.
- Mistaking a rope for a snake creates fear and anxiety, although the rope cannot bite. Similarly, mistaking the Lord's material energy for an object of personal enjoyment brings illusory fear and anxiety.
- Purūravā suffered because he considered Urvaśī an object of his own enjoyment. The purport identifies his attempt to exploit her external form as his offense.
Try this today
Notice one blaming thought today and identify the expectation of personal enjoyment behind it.
Ask yourself
Am I blaming someone else for distress rooted in my own desire to enjoy or control?
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.