Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.18.3
Ūti· What drives us to actDo Not Ignore the Reality of Death
“Alas! How wonderful it is that the foolish materialist does not heed the great danger of impending death! He knows that death will surely come, yet he is nevertheless callous and neglectful. If his father dies, he wants to enjoy his father’s property, and if his son dies, he wants to enjoy his son’s possessions as well. In either case, he heedlessly tries to enjoy material happiness with the acquired money.”
What the purport teaches
- Materialistic life centers on eating, sleeping, sexual intercourse and defense while neglecting impending death. Even a relative’s death may become an occasion to seek enjoyment through inherited possessions.
- The Supreme Lord does not want anyone to act sinfully and urges restraint through good conscience. If someone persists, He permits that person to act at his own risk.
- Both father and son are awaiting death, yet attachment to possessions can hide this reality. When death comes, all their plans for material enjoyment are finished.
Try this today
Pause before one choice today and refrain from any action your conscience warns is wrong.
Ask yourself
Where might attachment to enjoyment be making me neglect my conscience or the reality of death?
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.