Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.25.19
Ūti· What drives us to actFamily Comfort Can Deepen Attachment
“In such an atmosphere even the animals of the forest became nonviolent and nonenvious like great sages. Consequently, the animals did not attack anyone. Over and above everything was the cooing of the cuckoos. Any passenger passing along that path was invited by that atmosphere to take rest in that nice garden.”
What the purport teaches
- The peaceful forest atmosphere is compared to family life with wife and children. The children are likened to nonviolent animals.
- The purport also uses the strong image of relatives as burglars who take one's hard-earned wealth. This highlights the demands that can accompany family life.
- Even family turmoil can seem pleasing, like the cooing of cuckoos. Attracted by this atmosphere, a person may want to keep the family together at all costs.
Try this today
Reflect briefly on one family comfort and whether you feel you must preserve it at any cost.
Ask yourself
Do familiar comforts make it difficult for me to recognize attachment?
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.