Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 7.15.9
Mukti· LiberationSeek Knowledge That Leads Back to Godhead
“Because of an awakening of spiritual knowledge, those who are intelligent in regard to sacrifice, who are actually aware of religious principles and who are free from material desires, control the self in the fire of spiritual knowledge, or knowledge of the Absolute Truth. They may give up the process of ritualistic ceremonies.”
What the purport teaches
- People commonly perform ritualistic ceremonies to reach higher planetary systems. Awakening spiritual knowledge makes one uninterested in such elevation.
- Those who understand sacrifice and are free from material desires practice self-control in the fire of spiritual knowledge. They may give up ritualistic ceremonies.
- The objective of life is to end the miseries of birth and death and return home, back to Godhead. Cultivating knowledge for this purpose is higher than pursuing fruitive activities.
Try this today
Spend five minutes studying this teaching with the explicit aim of understanding life’s spiritual objective.
Ask yourself
Am I seeking spiritual knowledge for material improvement or to return home, back to Godhead?
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.