Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 8.3.25
Mukti· LiberationSeek Freedom From the Covering of Ignorance
“I do not wish to live anymore after I am released from the attack of the crocodile. What is the use of an elephant’s body covered externally and internally by ignorance? I simply desire eternal liberation from the covering of ignorance. That covering is not destroyed by the influence of time.”
What the purport teaches
- Every living entity in this material world is covered by ignorance. One should approach the Supreme Lord through the spiritual master, who opens our eyes with the torchlight of knowledge.
- The struggle for existence is due to ignorance, although every living being is an eternal part of the Supreme Lord. No material body can live forever.
- Gajendra desires lasting freedom from ignorance, not merely a longer life in an elephant's body. One should seek liberation from birth and death rather than try to make a permanent, happy settlement in material life.
Try this today
Read the prayer to the spiritual master in this purport aloud, reflecting on the need for knowledge that removes ignorance.
Ask yourself
Am I seeking only a more comfortable material life, or knowledge that frees me from ignorance?
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.