Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.31.44
Ūti· What drives us to actBodies Change as Actions Bear Results
“In this way the living entity gets a suitable body with a material mind and senses, according to his fruitive activities. When the reaction of his particular activity comes to an end, that end is called death, and when a particular type of reaction begins, that beginning is called birth.”
What the purport teaches
- The living entity receives a body, mind and senses suited to his fruitive activities. Under māyā, he wanders through the universe on the carriage of the body.
- Birth begins a particular set of reactions, and death marks its end. One lifetime is only a brief part of a long series of actions and reactions.
- A change of body provides a different field of activities, just as childhood activities change into youthful activities. The beginning of this continuing process cannot be traced.
Try this today
Reflect for two minutes on how your activities have changed since childhood, along with your body.
Ask yourself
How does seeing this body as a temporary field of activity change my priorities?
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.