Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.8.18
Ūti· What drives us to actInnocence Alone Does Not Prevent Allurement
“Becoming attracted to the worldly singing, dancing and musical entertainment of beautiful women, even the great sage Ṛṣyaśṛṅga, the son of a deer, fell totally under their control, just like a pet animal.”
What the purport teaches
- Ṛṣyaśṛṅga’s father raised him without exposure to women, hoping he would remain a perfect brahmacārī. Yet this lack of exposure did not prevent him from being enticed.
- Women were sent to bring Ṛṣyaśṛṅga to a drought-stricken kingdom, where his arrival was expected to restore rain. Attracted by their entertainment, he fell under their control.
- Even a sage can be overcome by sweet musical sounds promising sense gratification. A thoughtful person should humbly learn from the deer’s example.
Try this today
Identify one form of entertainment that draws you toward sense gratification and refrain from it today.
Ask yourself
Am I assuming that I cannot be influenced by entertainment promising sensual pleasure?
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.