Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.18.21
Ūti· What drives us to actServe the Lord Without Material Motives
“My dear Lord, You automatically fulfill all the desires of a woman who worships Your lotus feet in pure love. However, if a woman worships Your lotus feet for a particular purpose, You also quickly fulfill her desires, but in the end she becomes broken-hearted and laments. Therefore one need not worship Your lotus feet for some material benefit.”
What the purport teaches
- Pure devotional service means serving the Lord as He desires, not worshiping Him for material gain. Beginners follow the spiritual master and the śāstras, gradually awakening spontaneous love for Kṛṣṇa.
- The Supreme Lord personally protects what His fully engaged devotee has and supplies what is needed. Material benefits can end in lamentation, so Lakṣmīdevī advises service without material requests.
- Beginners who approach the Lord with desires are still magnanimous, and their desires can gradually vanish. Whatever desires one has, one should worship the Supreme Lord and learn to depend completely on His service.
Try this today
Offer one brief prayer today asking to serve Kṛṣṇa without requesting a material benefit.
Ask yourself
Am I approaching Kṛṣṇa mainly for something I want, or to learn how He wishes to be served?
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.