Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.16.38
Ūti· What drives us to actChoose Devotional Service Over Temporary Rewards
“O Lord, O Supreme, unintelligent persons who thirst for sense enjoyment and who worship various demigods are no better than animals in the human form of life. Because of their animalistic propensities, they fail to worship Your Lordship, and instead they worship the insignificant demigods, who are but small sparks of Your glory. With the destruction of the entire universe, including the demigods, the benedictions received from the demigods also vanish, just like the nobility when a king is no longer in power.”
What the purport teaches
- Material desires lead people to worship demigods instead of the Supreme Lord. The purport distinguishes showing respect to demigods from worshiping them.
- The demigods oversee departments of the material manifestation, and their benedictions vanish when that manifestation is destroyed. Such rewards cannot provide a lasting goal.
- Whether one has material desires, no material desires or a desire for liberation, one should worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead through devotional service. Human life should be directed toward Kṛṣṇa consciousness rather than merely sense enjoyment.
Try this today
Name one material reward you are hoping for, then offer a prayer asking to engage in the Lord’s service rather than making that reward your goal.
Ask yourself
Are you approaching worship mainly for temporary rewards or for service to the Supreme 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.