Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.29.73
Ūti· What drives us to actDormant Reactions Are Not Liberation
“When the living entity dreams, the sense objects are not actually present. However, because one has associated with the sense objects, they become manifest. Similarly, the living entity with undeveloped senses does not cease to exist materially, even though he may not be exactly in contact with the sense objects.”
What the purport teaches
- Sense objects can appear in dreams even when they are not physically present, because of previous association with them.
- The effects of fruitive activities remain reserved in the subtle body before becoming manifest. A child’s innocence therefore does not mean that the child is a liberated soul.
- Even when the reactions of the gross and subtle bodies are not visible, material conditioning remains. The influence of the three modes can become manifest in due course.
Try this today
Notice one desire that returns after being quiet, and reflect that being dormant is not the same as being gone.
Ask yourself
Do I ever mistake a quiet or inactive desire for freedom from material conditioning?
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.