Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.18.42
Ūti· What drives us to actSee the Soul Beyond the Body
“To satisfy their own interests, women deal with men as if the men were most dear to them, but no one is actually dear to them. Women are supposed to be very saintly, but for their own interests they can kill even their husbands, sons or brothers, or cause them to be killed by others.”
What the purport teaches
- The purport explains that selfish instincts in either men or women arise in the bodily conception of life. As long as this conception directs us, there is danger of being misled.
- Whether a person is a man or a woman, that person is not the body but a spiritual soul. Women should be seen as spiritual beings whose duty is to satisfy Kṛṣṇa.
- Kṛṣṇa consciousness counteracts the contamination of material nature. Spiritual advancement shifts our interest from satisfying the body’s senses to the activities of the soul.
Try this today
In one interaction today, consciously remember that the other person is a spiritual soul, not merely a body.
Ask yourself
Am I approaching others mainly through bodily labels, or as spiritual souls?
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.