Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 9.6.41-42
Ūti· What drives us to actDesire Turned His Attention Toward Appearance
“Saubhari Muni thought: I am now feeble because of old age. My hair has become grey, my skin is slack, and my head always trembles. Besides, I am a yogī. Therefore women do not like me. Since the King has thus rejected me, I shall reform my body in such a way as to be desirable even to celestial women, what to speak of the daughters of worldly kings.”
What the purport teaches
- Saubhari Muni reflected on his old age: his grey hair, slack skin, and trembling head.
- He thought women would not like him because he was old and a yogī. He understood the King’s response as a rejection.
- He resolved to transform his body so that even celestial women would find him desirable, what to speak of the daughters of worldly kings.
Try this today
Pause before one appearance-related choice today and identify whether a wish for others’ approval is driving it.
Ask yourself
How does the wish to be desired influence the way you think about your appearance?
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.