Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 12.2.42
Ūti· What drives us to actInherited Control Encourages Foolish Possessiveness
“[The materialistic king thinks:] “This unbounded earth was held by my predecessors and is now under my sovereignty. How can I arrange for it to remain in the hands of my sons, grandsons and other descendants?””
What the purport teaches
- The materialistic king thinks of the earth as having belonged to his predecessors and now being under his sovereignty.
- He plans how to keep it in the hands of his sons, grandsons and other descendants.
- The purport identifies this way of thinking as foolish possessiveness.
Try this today
Examine one thought about keeping something “in the family” and notice any possessiveness behind it.
Ask yourself
When does my concern for my family become a wish to preserve control?
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.