Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.8.4
Mukti· LiberationBe Active in Kṛṣṇa's Service
“A saintly person should remain peaceful and materially inactive, maintaining his body without much endeavor. Even though possessed of full sensual, mental and physical strength, a saintly person should not become active for material gain but rather should always remain alert to his actual self-interest.”
What the purport teaches
- A transcendentalist should remain awake to his eternal relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He should carefully cultivate Kṛṣṇa consciousness rather than waste time on bodily maintenance.
- The python's example does not teach complete inactivity or a show of starving the body. One should be active in spiritual advancement and inactive in material sense gratification.
- Mere renunciation is an immature stage of spiritual understanding. The fuller understanding is to engage everything in Lord Kṛṣṇa's service and gratefully accept facilities for that service.
Try this today
Choose one resource you already have and use it in a small act of service to Lord Kṛṣṇa today.
Ask yourself
Am I using my strength for spiritual advancement or mainly for material gain?
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.