Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.7.16
Ūti· What drives us to actPray Humbly for Freedom from Illusion
“O my Lord, I myself am most foolish because my consciousness is merged in the material body and bodily relations, which are all manufactured by Your illusory energy. Thus I am thinking, “I am this body, and all of these relatives are mine.” Therefore, my Lord, please instruct Your poor servant. Please tell me how I can very easily carry out Your instructions.”
What the purport teaches
- False identification with the material body keeps us attached to bodily relations. Such attachment brings pain, lamentation and hankering.
- Uddhava is a pure devotee, but he speaks like an ordinary person to show how to pray to the Personality of Godhead.
- A repentant, eager desire for eternal devotional service is most auspicious for spiritual advancement. Lord Kṛṣṇa answers the prayers of a devotee sincerely seeking freedom from illusion.
Try this today
Offer a brief, sincere prayer to Lord Kṛṣṇa, asking for help to follow His instructions and engage in devotional service.
Ask yourself
How might the thoughts “I am this body” and “these are mine” be shaping my worries?
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.