Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.5.15
Ūti· What drives us to actEnvy Offends Others and the Indwelling Lord
“The conditioned souls become completely bound in affection to their own corpselike material bodies and their relatives and paraphernalia. In such a proud and foolish condition, the conditioned souls envy other living entities as well as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, who resides in the heart of all beings. Thus enviously offending others, the conditioned souls gradually fall down into hell.”
What the purport teaches
- False pride binds conditioned souls to their corpselike material bodies and bodily relations. This attachment obscures their true position as eternal servants of God.
- Envy appears as cruelty toward animals, violence toward people and dishonest dealings. Such conduct also offends Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who dwells within everyone.
- Denying any living being superior to oneself expresses envy of the Supreme Lord. The verse warns that enviously offending others leads downward into hell.
Try this today
When envy arises today, pause and remember that the Supreme Lord dwells within that person.
Ask yourself
How would remembering Hari within others change my response to someone I envy?
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.