Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.25.28
Ūti· What drives us to actEmploy Intelligence in the Lord’s Service
“My dear beautiful girl, you are exactly like the goddess of fortune or the wife of Lord Śiva or the goddess of learning, the wife of Lord Brahmā. Although you must be one of them, I see that you are loitering in this forest. Indeed, you are as silent as the great sages. Is it that you are searching after your own husband? Whoever your husband may be, simply by understanding that you are so faithful to him, he will come to possess all opulences. I think you must be the goddess of fortune, but I do not see the lotus flower in your hand. Therefore I am asking you where you have thrown that lotus.”
What the purport teaches
- Everyone thinks their intelligence is perfect, yet Purañjana is bewildered about how to use his. Intelligence should be employed in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune, never remains without her husband, Lord Viṣṇu. Worshiping Lord Viṣṇu automatically brings her favor.
- The desire for material enjoyment conditions the living entity, while freedom from that attraction brings liberation. Material energy works under Lord Viṣṇu’s direction and is not ours to enjoy independently.
Try this today
Choose one ability you possess and make a small plan to use it in the Lord’s service today.
Ask yourself
Am I using my intelligence mainly to obtain enjoyment or to serve the Supreme Personality of 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.