Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.23.28
Ūti· What drives us to actUse Human Life for Devotional Service
“Any person who engages himself within this material world in performing activities that necessitate great struggle, and who, after obtaining a human form of life — which is a chance to attain liberation from miseries — undertakes the difficult tasks of fruitive activities, must be considered to be cheated and envious of his own self.”
What the purport teaches
- Difficult activities aimed at sense gratification yield only temporary results. Devotees, however, are satisfied simply to have an opportunity to serve the Lord.
- The human body is like a boat, the spiritual master is its navigator, and Kṛṣṇa’s instructions are favorable winds. Neglecting this opportunity means wasting the human form of life.
- The aim of human life is to return home, back to Godhead, where the Supreme Personality of Godhead resides. Human life is meant for executing devotional service, not merely seeking material comforts or impersonal liberation.
Try this today
Set aside five minutes today to read Kṛṣṇa’s instructions with the intention of serving Him.
Ask yourself
How much of my effort serves temporary desires, and how much prepares me to return to 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.