Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.14.41
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyProtect Those Who Need Shelter
“You are always the protector of the deserving living beings, such as brāhmaṇas, children, cows, women and the diseased. Could you not give them protection when they approached you for shelter?”
What the purport teaches
- Brāhmaṇas seek knowledge for society’s material and spiritual welfare. They therefore deserve the king’s protection in all respects.
- Children, cows, diseased people, women and elderly people specifically require the protection of the state or a kṣatriya king. Failing to protect them is shameful for those responsible.
- Arjuna was known as a protector of those seeking shelter. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira anxiously asked whether he had failed to protect anyone who approached him.
Try this today
Check on one elderly or ill person today and offer one practical form of help.
Ask yourself
Who within my care needs more attention or protection?
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.