Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.8.21
Ūti· What drives us to actMeditation Requires More Than Closed Eyes
“Alas, the small deer, while playing with me and seeing me feigning meditation with closed eyes, would circumambulate me due to anger arising from love, and it would fearfully touch me with the points of its soft horns, which felt like drops of water.”
What the purport teaches
- King Bharata considered his meditation false because he was actually thinking of the deer.
- He felt great pleasure when the deer touched him with the points of its soft horns.
- Though outwardly meditating, his thoughts remained with the animal. This was a sign of his downfall.
Try this today
During your next meditation, notice one distracting attachment and gently return your attention to your practice.
Ask yourself
During meditation, where does my attention actually go?
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.