Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.22.17
Ūti· What drives us to actBeauty Can Bewilder the Mind
“I have heard that Viśvāvasu, the great Gandharva, his mind stupefied with infatuation, fell from his airplane after seeing your daughter playing with a ball on the roof of the palace, for she was indeed beautiful with her tinkling ankle bells and her eyes moving to and fro.”
What the purport teaches
- Kardama Muni recounted an incident he had heard: Viśvāvasu saw Devahūti playing ball on the palace roof.
- The purport explains that harmya means a very large palatial building. It also understands the account to indicate the use of private airplanes in those days.
- Captivated by Devahūti's beauty and the sound of her ankle ornaments, Viśvāvasu became bewildered and fell from his airplane.
Try this today
When an attractive sight or sound distracts you today, pause and carefully return to your task.
Ask yourself
When attraction captures my attention, how does it affect my awareness of what I am doing?
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.