Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 2.9.1
Mukti· LiberationOur True Identity Is Loving Service
“Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O King, unless one is influenced by the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there is no meaning to the relationship of the pure soul in pure consciousness with the material body. That relationship is just like a dreamer’s seeing his own body working.”
What the purport teaches
- The spirit soul is distinct from the material body and mind. Under the Lord’s external energy, called ātma-māyā, the soul becomes absorbed in a material conception of life, like a dreamer.
- The Lord wishes every living entity to engage in His loving service. Because the living entity has partial independence, he may instead desire to become as independent as the Lord.
- The dream of “I” and “mine” continues while we forget our identity as subordinate parts and parcels of the Lord. In pure consciousness, we know that we are never the Lord but His eternal servants in transcendental love.
Try this today
Pause once today when you think “mine,” and remind yourself: “I am an eternal servant of the Lord.”
Ask yourself
When do I mistake my body or possessions for my true identity?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.