Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.1.46
Ūti· What drives us to actDevotional Service Transcends the Three Modes
“O best of the demigods, we can see three different varieties of life, which are due to the contamination of the three modes of nature. The living entities are thus known as peaceful, restless and foolish; as happy, unhappy or in-between; or as religious, irreligious and semireligious. We can deduce that in the next life these three kinds of material nature will similarly act.”
What the purport teaches
- Happiness, distress and mixtures of both are visible results of past association with goodness, passion and ignorance.
- Association with these modes also shapes conditions in the next life. The best policy is to become free from their contamination.
- Kṛṣṇa confirms that full, unfailing devotional service carries one beyond the three modes to the spiritual platform. Without full absorption in the Lord’s service, one remains subject to their influence.
Try this today
Set aside a few uninterrupted minutes today for devotional service to the Lord.
Ask yourself
Am I aiming only for more material happiness, or for steady service to 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.