Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 7.1.23
Ūti· What drives us to actThe Lord Is Beyond Material Reactions
“The great sage Śrī Nāradajī said: O King, blasphemy and praise, chastisement and respect, are experienced because of ignorance. The body of the conditioned soul is planned by the Lord for suffering in the material world through the agency of the external energy.”
What the purport teaches
- The material body is made by the external energy under the Supreme Lord’s direction. Seated on this bodily machine, the conditioned soul wanders and suffers through bodily identification.
- The pain of insults and the enjoyment of praise belong to the material conception of life. The Supreme Personality of Godhead’s body is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, so He remains unaffected and complete.
- The Lord does not become more complete through a devotee’s prayers, but the devotee benefits by offering them. Even someone attached to thinking of Him as an enemy receives benefit.
Try this today
Offer one short prayer to the Lord, remembering that the benefit is yours and that He is already complete.
Ask yourself
How might remembering the Lord’s completeness change the way I offer prayers?
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.