Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 9.6.45-46
Ūti· What drives us to actMaterial Opulence Is Not Life’s Perfection
“Because Saubhari Muni was expert in chanting mantras perfectly, his severe austerities resulted in an opulent home, with garments, ornaments, properly dressed and decorated maidservants and manservants, and varieties of parks with clear-water lakes and gardens. In the gardens, fragrant with varieties of flowers, birds chirped and bees hummed, surrounded by professional singers. Saubhari Muni’s home was amply provided with valuable beds, seats, ornaments, and arrangements for bathing, and there were varieties of sandalwood creams, flower garlands, and palatable dishes. Thus surrounded by opulent paraphernalia, the muni engaged in family affairs with his numerous wives.”
What the purport teaches
- Yogic perfection makes eight material opulences available. Through his austerities and expertise in chanting mantras, Saubhari Muni arranged extraordinary comforts for family enjoyment.
- Material opulence can be achieved through ordinary means or through subtle means such as mantras. Yet Saubhari Muni’s attainment of opulence was not perfection in life.
- Those who know the spiritual value of life are not inspired by material opulence. Saubhari Muni became dissatisfied, left everything, reentered the forest in the vānaprastha order, and achieved final success.
Try this today
Write down one material comfort you seek, then spend a minute reflecting on why obtaining it would not itself be perfection in life.
Ask yourself
Are you measuring success mainly by external comforts or by the spiritual value of life?
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.