Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.8.19
Ūti· What drives us to actLearn the Dangers of the Tongue
“Just as a fish, incited by the desire to enjoy his tongue, is fatally trapped on the fisherman’s hook, similarly, a foolish person is bewildered by the extremely disturbing urges of the tongue and thus is ruined.”
What the purport teaches
- A fish, eager to taste bait, is caught on a sharp hook. Similarly, the disturbing urges of the tongue can bewilder a person and destroy discrimination.
- For momentary taste pleasure, people kill innocent creatures in slaughterhouses. By causing such suffering, they prepare a terrible future for themselves.
- Even eating foods authorized in the Vedas carries danger if one overeats. Excessive eating can stimulate further sense gratification and endanger spiritual life.
Try this today
At one meal today, take a moderate portion and avoid eating beyond what you need.
Ask yourself
When does the desire for taste override my discrimination about eating?
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.