Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 12.8.44
Mukti· LiberationGive Up False Ownership Through Knowledge
“Therefore I worship Your lotus feet, having renounced my identification with the material body and everything else that covers my true self. These useless, insubstantial and temporary coverings are merely presumed to be separate from You, whose intelligence encompasses all truth. By attaining You — the Supreme Godhead and the master of the soul — one attains everything desirable.”
What the purport teaches
- False identification with the material body or mind makes one feel entitled to exploit the material world.
- Realizing our eternal spiritual nature and Lord Kṛṣṇa’s supreme ownership gives us strength to renounce the desire to enjoy selfishly.
- The prayer gives up identification with temporary coverings and turns to worship of the Lord’s lotus feet. By attaining Him, the Supreme Godhead and master of the soul, one attains everything desirable.
Try this today
Before using one possession today, pause to acknowledge Lord Kṛṣṇa’s ownership and choose not to use it merely for selfish enjoyment.
Ask yourself
Where does my sense of ownership encourage me to seek selfish enjoyment?
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.