Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.7.39
Mukti· LiberationMaintain the Body for Serving Kṛṣṇa
“A learned sage should take his satisfaction in the simple maintenance of his existence and should not seek satisfaction through gratifying the material senses. In other words, one should care for the material body in such a way that one’s higher knowledge is not destroyed and so that one’s speech and mind are not deviated from self-realization.”
What the purport teaches
- Eating, sleeping and cleansing should be moderately and intelligently regulated. Both excessive austerity and excessive sense gratification obstruct self-realization.
- A devotee sees everything in relation to Kṛṣṇa, not as separate property meant for personal enjoyment. This understanding leaves no scope for material sense gratification.
- Distinguish temporary gratification from permanent benefit. Maintain the body so that you remain strong for serving Kṛṣṇa, with steady consciousness of Him as the goal.
Try this today
Choose a moderate amount of food at one meal today, remembering that bodily strength is meant for serving Kṛṣṇa.
Ask yourself
Does my daily routine strengthen my service to Kṛṣṇa or distract me from it?
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.