Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.13.1
Ūti· What drives us to actSense Gratification Cannot Bring Lasting Happiness
“Jaḍa Bharata, who had fully realized Brahman, continued: My dear King Rahūgaṇa, the living entity wanders on the path of the material world, which is very difficult for him to traverse, and he accepts repeated birth and death. Being captivated by the material world under the influence of the three modes of material nature (sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa), the living entity can see only the three fruits of activities under the spell of material nature. These fruits are auspicious, inauspicious and mixed. He thus becomes attached to religion, economic development, sense gratification and the monistic theory of liberation (merging with the Supreme). He works very hard day and night exactly like a merchant who enters a forest to acquire some articles to sell later for profit. However, he cannot really achieve happiness within this material world.”
What the purport teaches
- The path of sense gratification leads to repeated birth and death. According to karma, the living entity must accept another body under the stringent laws of nature.
- Under the three modes of material nature, activities produce auspicious, inauspicious or mixed results. Captivated by these results, the living entity works very hard for material gain.
- Ignorant of his eternal blissful life, the living entity seeks happiness in material activities but never truly finds it. This attraction is called māyā.
Try this today
Pause before pursuing one material pleasure today and consider whether it can give lasting happiness.
Ask yourself
Where am I working hard for enjoyment that never leaves me satisfied?
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.