Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.31.31
Ūti· What drives us to actWork for the Supreme, Not Bodily Bondage
“For the sake of the body, which is a source of constant trouble to him and which follows him because he is bound by ties of ignorance and fruitive activities, he performs various actions which cause him to be subjected to repeated birth and death.”
What the purport teaches
- Work must be done to satisfy Yajña, or Viṣṇu. Work without the purpose of satisfying the Supreme Personality of Godhead causes bondage.
- By accepting the body as himself, the conditioned soul forgets his eternal relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead and acts for bodily interests.
- Leaders who remain in the bodily conception cannot lead others beyond it. As long as one remains fixed in this conception, repeated birth and death continue.
Try this today
Before one task today, pause and consider how to do it for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Ask yourself
What is the purpose behind my work: bodily interests alone, or satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead?
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.