Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.5.14
Ūti· What drives us to actDevotional Service Is Life’s Highest Goal
“O sage, persons who because of their sinful activities are averse to the topics of Transcendence and thus ignorant of the purpose of the Mahābhārata [Bhagavad-gītā] are pitied by the pitiable. I also pity them because I see how their duration of life is spoiled by eternal time while they involve themselves in presentations of philosophical speculation, theoretical ultimate goals of life, and different modes of ritual.”
What the purport teaches
- Under ignorance and passion, people either reject God or approach Him as an order supplier. Those with an impersonal understanding may accept bhakti as a means rather than the goal.
- Pure devotees stand above the material modes and recognize the Lord’s name, form, fame and qualities as nondifferent. For them, hearing about Kṛṣṇa is like meeting Him face to face.
- Devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the real mission of human life. Pure devotees feel compassion for those whose precious time is lost in sense enjoyment and mental speculation.
Try this today
Spend five minutes hearing about Kṛṣṇa today without asking for a material benefit.
Ask yourself
Am I treating devotional service as life’s goal, or merely as a way to obtain something else?
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.