Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 7.5.31 · one of the 108 chosen verses
Ūti· What drives us to actChoose Guidance That Leads to Viṣṇu
“Persons who are strongly entrapped by the consciousness of enjoying material life, and who have therefore accepted as their leader or guru a similar blind man attached to external sense objects, cannot understand that the goal of life is to return home, back to Godhead, and engage in the service of Lord Viṣṇu. As blind men guided by another blind man miss the right path and fall into a ditch, materially attached men led by another materially attached man are bound by the ropes of fruitive labor, which are made of very strong cords, and they continue again and again in materialistic life, suffering the threefold miseries.”
What the purport teaches
- The goal of life is to return home, back to Godhead, and serve Lord Viṣṇu. Leaders absorbed in material enjoyment cannot guide others toward this goal.
- An actual guru has heard and received perfect knowledge through the disciplic succession. Birth in a family of teachers does not by itself establish this qualification.
- Materially attached teachers and followers resemble blind people led by another blind person. They remain bound by material nature rather than finding spiritual freedom.
Try this today
Review one source of guidance you rely on and note whether it encourages service to Lord Viṣṇu.
Ask yourself
Does the guidance I follow direct me toward service to the Lord or only material success?
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.