Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.14.21
Ūti· What drives us to actEnmity and Anxiety Darken Understanding
“In the forest of the material world, the conditioned soul is sometimes bitten by envious enemies, which are compared to serpents and other creatures. Through the tricks of the enemy, the conditioned soul falls from his prestigious position. Being anxious, he cannot even sleep properly. He thus becomes more and more unhappy, and he gradually loses his intelligence and consciousness. In that state he becomes almost perpetually like a blind man who has fallen into a dark well of ignorance.”
What the purport teaches
- Envious enemies are compared to serpents and other biting creatures. Their tricks can bring the conditioned soul down from a prestigious position.
- Anxiety over this loss can disturb sleep and deepen unhappiness. Intelligence and consciousness gradually become weakened.
- The resulting ignorance is compared to a blind man falling into a dark well. The verse shows how enmity and distress can obscure one’s understanding of life.
Try this today
Take a quiet minute to notice whether a conflict is disturbing your sleep or clarity of thought.
Ask yourself
Has anxiety about another person’s actions begun to cloud my understanding?
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.