Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.14.13
Ūti· What drives us to actSeek a Genuine Guru, Not Tricks
“Sometimes, to mitigate distresses in this forest of the material world, the conditioned soul receives cheap blessings from atheists. He then loses all intelligence in their association. This is exactly like jumping in a shallow river. As a result one simply breaks his head. He is not able to mitigate his sufferings from the heat, and in both ways he suffers. The misguided conditioned soul also approaches so-called sādhus and svāmīs who preach against the principles of the Vedas. He does not receive benefit from them, either in the present or in the future.”
What the purport teaches
- Seeking cheap blessings from false spiritual teachers does not relieve material suffering. Their tricks and displays cannot extinguish the blazing fire of material existence.
- A genuine guru is well versed in the conclusions of Vedic knowledge, free from material contamination and fully engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service. One should approach such a guru to inquire about life's highest benefit.
- Gold-making displays do not make someone God. The purport directs us instead toward Kṛṣṇa, the proprietor of the entire universe, and toward His sincere devotees.
Try this today
Write one sincere question about life's highest benefit to ask a teacher whose qualifications match those given in the purport.
Ask yourself
Am I seeking spiritual guidance for life's highest benefit, or mainly for material advantages?
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.