Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.16.25
Sthāna· The universe in orderProtect Nature’s Sources of Human Necessities
“The residents of the material world who enjoy the products of these flowing rivers have no wrinkles on their bodies and no grey hair. They never feel fatigue, and perspiration does not give their bodies a bad odor. They are not afflicted by old age, disease or untimely death, they do not suffer from chilly cold or scorching heat, nor do their bodies lose their luster. They all live very happily, without anxieties, until death.”
What the purport teaches
- The residents described here enjoy the rivers’ products without old age, disease or anxiety until death. Śrīla Prabhupāda calls this a hint of human society’s perfection even within the material world.
- Agriculture provides ample food grains, cow protection provides milk, yogurt and ghee, and protected forests provide honey. These supplies help correct the miserable conditions of material life.
- Killing cows, cutting down trees and replacing agriculture with factory production do not bring real happiness. The purport recommends Vedic civilization for happiness now and preparation for the best in the next life.
Try this today
Choose one concrete way today to avoid wasting food grains or milk products.
Ask yourself
How do your daily choices support the sources of life’s necessities?
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.