Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.29.26-27
Ūti· What drives us to actChoose Service Rather Than Imitating the Lord
“The living entity by nature has minute independence to choose his own good or bad fortune, but when he forgets his supreme master, the Personality of Godhead, he gives himself up unto the modes of material nature. Being influenced by the modes of material nature, he identifies himself with the body and, for the interest of the body, becomes attached to various activities. Sometimes he is under the influence of the mode of ignorance, sometimes the mode of passion and sometimes the mode of goodness. The living entity thus gets different types of bodies under the modes of material nature.”
What the purport teaches
- The living entity has a little independence and can choose his own welfare. Because he is very minute, he can also be misled in his choice.
- Forgetting the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the living entity identifies with the body and acts under the modes of nature. Association with these modes leads to different kinds of bodies.
- Material bondage comes from leaving the Lord’s service and trying to imitate Him. The living entity is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa but can never become equal to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Try this today
Before one activity today, pause and consider how to approach it as a servant of Kṛṣṇa rather than as an independent enjoyer.
Ask yourself
Where do I notice a desire to act independently of the Lord rather than serve Him?
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.