Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.13.3
Ūti· What drives us to actHomes and Wealth Cannot Give Permanence
“In this forest there are dense bowers composed of thickets of bushes, grass and creepers. In these bowers the conditioned soul is always disturbed by cruelly biting mosquitoes [envious people]. Sometimes he sees an imaginary palace in the forest, and sometimes he is bewildered by seeing a fleeting fiend or ghost, which appears like a meteor in the sky.”
What the purport teaches
- Material household life involves fruitive activity through professions, industries and trade. In these dealings, undesirable people's behavior can disturb us like mosquito bites.
- Even amid these disturbances, one imagines building a grand house and living there permanently. Yet one knows that permanent residence is impossible.
- Gold and money attract those seeking material results, but their appearance is fleeting. The purport compares gold to a fiend that appears briefly like a meteor and then disappears.
Try this today
When thinking about one possession today, remind yourself that neither it nor your enjoyment of it is permanent.
Ask yourself
Am I expecting a home or financial success to give me permanent security?
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.