Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 7.15.40
Mukti· LiberationUse Human Life for Spiritual Elevation
“The human form of body is meant for understanding the self and the Supreme Self, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, both of whom are transcendentally situated. If both of them can be understood when one is purified by advanced knowledge, for what reason and for whom does a foolish, greedy person maintain the body for sense gratification?”
What the purport teaches
- Human life is meant for understanding the soul and the Supersoul, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Cultivating knowledge gradually reveals that the body is not the self.
- One should seek spiritual elevation and association with the Supreme Self. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement aims to bring the living being back home, back to Godhead.
- Maintaining the body merely for sense gratification neglects the duty of human life. A sannyāsī must especially withdraw from the disturbing urges of the tongue, belly, and genitals.
Try this today
Spend five minutes today studying the distinction between the body, the soul, and the Supreme Self in this verse and purport.
Ask yourself
Am I using the care of my body to support spiritual elevation, or mainly sense gratification?
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.