Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.26.1-3
Ūti· What drives us to actBeyond the Modes Through Surrender
“The great sage Nārada continued: My dear King, once upon a time King Purañjana took up his great bow, and equipped with golden armor and a quiver of unlimited arrows and accompanied by eleven commanders, he sat on his chariot driven by five swift horses and went to the forest named Pañca-prastha. He took with him in that chariot two explosive arrows. The chariot itself was situated on two wheels and one revolving axle. On the chariot were three flags, one rein, one chariot driver, one sitting place, two poles to which the harness was fixed, five weapons and seven coverings. The chariot moved in five different styles, and five obstacles lay before it. All the decorations of the chariot were made of gold.”
What the purport teaches
- The body is compared to a chariot, and the living entity is its owner, seated within the heart. Paramātmā, the Supersoul, is the driver.
- The three flags represent goodness, passion and ignorance, which influence the living entity. Even someone who appears religious can be driven by ignorance, as shown by animal-killing in the name of religion.
- Transcendental religion concerns our relationship with Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and calls for surrender to Him. The chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa involves no animal sacrifice.
Try this today
Today, chant once attentively: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.
Ask yourself
Do my religious choices help me surrender to Kṛṣṇa, or do they excuse my desire for sense enjoyment?
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.