Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.28.16
Ūti· What drives us to actAttachment Fuels the Struggle to Remain
“King Purañjana then began to think of his daughters, sons, grandsons, daughters-in-law, sons-in-law, servants and other associates, as well as his house, his household paraphernalia and his little accumulation of wealth.”
What the purport teaches
- Purañjana thought of his family, associates, home, possessions and remaining wealth. These occupied his attention as life was ending.
- A person overly attached to the material body may ask a physician to prolong life, even briefly. The purport calls this the struggle for existence.
- Medical treatment may extend life for a few minutes, but death still comes. Both patient and physician may continue hoping to prolong life when the body is practically finished.
Try this today
List three things you feel you cannot leave behind, and quietly acknowledge that bodily life cannot last forever.
Ask yourself
Which possessions or relationships most strongly feed my wish to remain in this body?
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.