Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.8.27
Mukti· LiberationDisappointment Opens the Way to Detachment
“As the night wore on, the prostitute, who intensely desired money, gradually became morose, and her face dried up. Thus being filled with anxiety for money and most disappointed, she began to feel a great detachment from her situation, and happiness arose in her mind.”
What the purport teaches
- Piṅgalā’s intense desire for money left her morose and anxious when no customers came. Her disappointment gradually made her indifferent to her situation.
- She had engaged her mind, body and words in serving paying lovers, forgetting devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Her mind had therefore become unsteady and disturbed.
- As great detachment arose, happiness appeared in her mind. The purport explains that suffering sometimes leads one toward enlightenment.
Try this today
Name one recent disappointment and spend a quiet moment considering whether you can release the expectation behind it.
Ask yourself
Could a disappointment help me loosen an attachment that distracts me from devotional service?
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.