Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.1.16
Mukti· LiberationServe Without Creating Further Material Bondage
“Even if one is liberated, he nevertheless accepts the body he has received according to his past karma. Without misconceptions, however, he regards his enjoyment and suffering due to that karma the way an awakened person regards a dream he had while sleeping. He thus remains steadfast and never works to achieve another material body under the influence of the three modes of material nature.”
What the purport teaches
- A liberated person knows that he is a spirit soul, not the body. He accepts the results of past activities as an awakened person regards a dream.
- Work done for one’s own enjoyment produces binding reactions. Work done for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead does not.
- Unalloyed devotional service carries one beyond the modes of material nature. Such a devotee remains liberated and, after leaving the body, returns home, back to Godhead.
Try this today
Before one task today, remind yourself that you are not the body and direct your effort toward the Lord’s satisfaction.
Ask yourself
How would remembering that I am a spirit soul change my purpose in working today?
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.