Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 7.2.54
Ūti· What drives us to actBereavement Makes Life Seem Incomplete
“If unkind Providence takes away my wife, who is half my body, why should He not take me also? What is the use of my living with half of my body, bereaved by loss of my wife? What shall I gain in this way?”
What the purport teaches
- The male bird describes his wife as half his body. His words show how closely he feels joined to her.
- He asks why Providence should not take him too if his wife is taken away. This is an expression of his intense grief.
- He questions the use and gain of living bereaved of his wife. In his lament, life without her seems incomplete and full of suffering.
Try this today
Write one sentence describing the bird’s sense of loss, keeping his anguished words distinct from advice about how to live.
Ask yourself
What does the phrase “half my body” help me understand about the bird’s grief?
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.