Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 9.13.10
Mukti· LiberationShelter in Kṛṣṇa Ends Repeated Birth
“I do not wish to accept a material body, for such a body is the source of all distress, lamentation and fear, everywhere in the universe, just as it is for a fish in the water, which lives always in anxiety because of fear of death.”
What the purport teaches
- Every material body is destined to die, whether its life is short or very long. Like a fish threatened by larger fish, embodied living beings face anxiety about death.
- Human life offers the opportunity to end birth, death, old age and disease through tapasya. The aim is to stop the repetition of birth and death, not merely improve bodily conditions.
- Freedom from this cycle is possible only through Kṛṣṇa consciousness and service to the Lord. One must take shelter at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Try this today
Set aside one optional comfort today and use that time to remember Kṛṣṇa and pray for His service.
Ask yourself
Am I using human life only to seek comfort, or also to seek shelter in Kṛṣṇa?
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.