Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.1.50
Ūti· What drives us to actOur True Goal Is to Satisfy Kṛṣṇa
“Above the five senses of perception, the five working senses and the five objects of the senses is the mind, which is the sixteenth element. Above the mind is the seventeenth element, the soul, the living being himself, who, in cooperation with the other sixteen, enjoys the material world alone. The living being enjoys three kinds of situations, namely happy, distressful and mixed.”
What the purport teaches
- The soul is above the mind and senses. Through them, the living being experiences happiness, distress and a mixture of both.
- People work to enjoy sense objects without knowing that life's actual goal is to satisfy the Supreme Lord. The Lord kindly comes to teach them how to return home, back to Godhead.
- Everyone is responsible for his own life, and only Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, can deliver one from material entanglement. Our concern should therefore be to satisfy Him and become His pure devotee.
Try this today
Before one task today, pause and pray to Kṛṣṇa for help in acting as His servant.
Ask yourself
How could one of my daily activities become an effort to satisfy Kṛṣṇa rather than only my senses?
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.