Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.7.19
Mukti· LiberationUse Discernment Without Neglecting Devotees
“The Supreme Lord replied: Generally those human beings who can expertly analyze the actual situation of the material world are able to raise themselves beyond the inauspicious life of gross material gratification.”
What the purport teaches
- Personal experience and the experiences of others can show that ordinary material life offers no lasting happiness. Careful analysis helps one rise beyond the desire for material sense gratification.
- Kṛṣṇa reassures Uddhava rather than encouraging his discouragement. A sincere devotee guided by a bona fide spiritual master should count his blessings and do what is needed to return to Godhead.
- Even an expert in material and spiritual knowledge falls into ignorance by neglecting devotees. Genuine advancement brings humility and appreciation for a pure devotee spiritual master.
Try this today
Write down one spiritual blessing you have received and one small step you can take in response to that guidance.
Ask yourself
Does reflecting on life's difficulties make me more humble and appreciative of 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.