Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 7.2.48
Mukti· LiberationReal Pleasure Comes Through Serving Hṛṣīkeśa
“It is fruitless to see and talk of the material modes of nature and their resultant so-called happiness and distress as if they were factual. When the mind wanders during the day and a man begins to think himself extremely important, or when he dreams at night and sees a beautiful woman enjoying with him, these are merely false dreams. Similarly, the happiness and distress caused by the material senses should be understood to be meaningless.”
What the purport teaches
- Happiness and distress manufactured through the material senses and mind are compared to dreams. They are not the real happiness found beyond material life.
- When the senses are purified and engaged in serving Hṛṣīkeśa, the master of the senses, one experiences transcendental pleasure.
- Even heavenly sense enjoyment is limited and perishable. Rather than imagining happiness through mental concoction, one should engage the mind in the Lord’s service.
Try this today
When you notice one daydream about sense enjoyment today, redirect your mind toward a small act of service to the Lord.
Ask yourself
What imagined pleasure am I pursuing as though it could give lasting happiness?
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.