Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.31.28
Ūti· What drives us to actUnfulfilled Demands Bring Anger and Sorrow
“In this way, the child passes through his childhood, suffering different kinds of distress, and attains boyhood. In boyhood also he suffers pain over desires to get things he can never achieve. And thus, due to ignorance, he becomes angry and sorry.”
What the purport teaches
- The distress of childhood does not simply end with boyhood. New duties and desires bring further unhappiness.
- A boy may want to play but be required to attend school, study and pass examinations. He may also suffer because desired playthings are beyond his reach.
- Artificial demands create suffering when they remain unsatisfied. Through ignorance, frustrated desire becomes anger and sorrow.
Try this today
Choose one unnecessary thing you want today and practice leaving that desire unfulfilled without complaint.
Ask yourself
Which unnecessary demand is making me angry or unhappy when it is not fulfilled?
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.