Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.5.2
Ūti· What drives us to actSeek Guidance for Real Happiness
“Vidura said: O great sage, everyone in this world engages in fruitive activities to attain happiness, but one finds neither satiation nor the mitigation of distress. On the contrary, one is only aggravated by such activities. Please, therefore, give us directions on how one should live for real happiness.”
What the purport teaches
- People perform fruitive activities, seeking happiness through their results, yet find neither lasting satisfaction nor relief from distress. Instead, they become further entangled in action and reaction.
- Out of natural humility, Vidura began with a question important to ordinary people. Before understanding the Lord, one must recognize one's condition under the influence of illusion.
- Material plans cannot satisfy the continuous longing for happiness. Vidura therefore asked Maitreya for directions on how one should live for real happiness.
Try this today
Write down one expectation of happiness from material results and consider whether it has actually relieved your distress.
Ask yourself
Which pursuit of happiness has left me wanting more rather than feeling satisfied?
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.