Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.13.2
Ūti· What drives us to actUse Wealth for Your Real Self-Interest
“O King Rahūgaṇa, in this forest of material existence there are six very powerful plunderers. When the conditioned soul enters the forest to acquire some material gain, the six plunderers misguide him. Thus the conditioned merchant does not know how to spend his money, and it is taken away by these plunderers. Like tigers, jackals and other ferocious animals in a forest that are ready to take away a lamb from the custody of its protector, the wife and children enter the heart of the merchant and plunder him in so many ways.”
What the purport teaches
- The conditioned soul is compared to a merchant misled and plundered in a forest. Without knowing life's aim, he spends his hard-earned money on material demands and sense gratification.
- The aim of life is Viṣṇu. Our real self-interest is serving Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, rather than merely satisfying material desires.
- Money can support the advancement of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Spending it on sinful activities instead binds the living entity to accepting one body after another.
Try this today
Set aside a small amount today to support the advancement of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Ask yourself
How does my spending reflect the aim of serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead?
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.