Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.3.8
Ūti· What drives us to actService Benefits Us, Not the Self-Sufficient Lord
“All of life’s goals and opulences are directly, self-sufficiently, unceasingly and unlimitedly increasing in You at every moment. Indeed, You are unlimited enjoyment and blissful existence itself. As far as we are concerned, O Lord, we are always after material enjoyment. You do not need all these sacrificial arrangements, but they are meant for us so that we may be benedicted by Your Lordship. All these sacrifices are performed for our fruitive results, and they are not actually needed by You.”
What the purport teaches
- The Supreme Lord is self-sufficient and does not need huge sacrifices or gorgeous temples. Activities aimed at material opulence serve the desires of those who perform them.
- Work should be done to satisfy the Supreme Lord; otherwise it binds us in material activity. Using our resources in His service benefits us by freeing us from the reactions of our endeavors.
- When we attempt to do something nice for the Lord, He is pleased and gives His blessings. Those blessings can purify our consciousness and make us eligible to return home, back to Godhead.
Try this today
Use a small amount of your time or money today for the Lord’s service, remembering that He is already complete.
Ask yourself
Am I using my resources to seek material rewards or to satisfy the Lord?
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.