Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.14.37
Ūti· What drives us to actCheating and Envy Undermine Lasting Unity
“Although people may be enemies, in order to fulfill their desires again and again, they sometimes get married. Unfortunately, these marriages do not last very long, and the people involved are separated again by divorce or other means.”
What the purport teaches
- People may unite in marriage to fulfill their desires even when enmity exists between them. Such unions can end in divorce or other forms of separation.
- The propensity to cheat keeps envy alive, and temporary friendship can turn into conflict over money. Unity based on material desires is not permanent.
- Even in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, separation and enmity can arise when material propensities become prominent. Spiritual association does not justify neglecting these tendencies in oneself.
Try this today
Notice one envious or self-serving impulse in an interaction today, and choose not to act on it.
Ask yourself
Where might envy or a desire for personal gain be weakening one of my relationships?
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.