Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.5.15
Ūti· What drives us to actPurify Intelligence Rather Than Follow Its Dictations
“[Nārada Muni had also spoken of a man who is the husband of the prostitute. The Haryaśvas understood this as follows.] If one becomes the husband of a prostitute, he loses all independence. Similarly, if a living entity has polluted intelligence, he prolongs his materialistic life. Frustrated by material nature, he must follow the movements of the intelligence, which brings various conditions of happiness and distress. If one performs fruitive activities under such conditions, what will be the benefit?”
What the purport teaches
- Polluted intelligence takes away the living entity’s independence and prolongs material life. Following its dictations brings varieties of so-called happiness and distress.
- Those who are serious are guided by one kind of intelligence: intelligence in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Those who lack this steadiness pursue many different material ways of life.
- The living entity thinks himself the master, although material nature acts under the Supreme Person’s direction. Temporary activities do not solve the real problem of accepting various material bodies.
Try this today
Before one decision today, pause and ask whether it follows material desire or intelligence fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Ask yourself
Where do I mistake following material desires for being independent?
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.