Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.30.4
Ūti· What drives us to actMaterial Satisfaction Can Conceal Illusion
“The living entity, in whatever species of life he appears, finds a particular type of satisfaction in that species, and he is never averse to being situated in such a condition.”
What the purport teaches
- The living entity finds satisfaction in whatever species of life it enters. Such satisfaction can be illusion, even in a deeply degraded condition.
- Māyā has two activities: āvaraṇātmikā, or covering, and prakṣepātmikā, or pulling down. Her covering influence hides the living entity’s knowledge.
- When consciousness is poorly developed, one cannot properly understand whether one is happy or distressed. Feeling satisfied therefore does not prove that one’s condition is good.
Try this today
Examine one familiar pleasure today and ask whether satisfaction with it is covering a harmful effect.
Ask yourself
Could something I find satisfying be keeping me from recognizing my actual condition?
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.