Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.25.38
Ūti· What drives us to actUnderstand the Purpose of Spiritual Restraint
“How can I expect to unite with others, who are neither conversant about sex nor capable of knowing how to enjoy life while living or after death? Such foolish persons are like animals because they do not know the process of sense enjoyment in this life and after death.”
What the purport teaches
- The woman dismisses those who do not know how to enjoy material life. Her words express a materially inclined view.
- Among the four spiritual orders, sex life is allowed only in the gṛhastha, or householder, āśrama. Brahmacārīs, vānaprasthas and sannyāsīs refrain from it.
- Karmīs prefer household life because it permits sex enjoyment. Their attachment leads them to look down on orders devoted to restraint and renunciation.
Try this today
Reflect for one minute today on respecting spiritual restraint rather than dismissing it as a loss of enjoyment.
Ask yourself
Do I judge spiritual restraint by how much enjoyment it permits?
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.