Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.16.21
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyLearning Must Be Joined With Good Character
“Are you feeling compunction for the unhappy women and children who are left forlorn by unscrupulous persons? Or are you unhappy because the goddess of learning is being handled by brāhmaṇas addicted to acts against the principles of religion? Or are you sorry to see that the brāhmaṇas have taken shelter of administrative families that do not respect brahminical culture?”
What the purport teaches
- The purport describes neglect of women, children, brāhmaṇas, and cows as a symptom of Kali. Irresponsible relationships leave women and children uncared for.
- Education and bad character go ill together. High educational achievement does not by itself mean that someone follows moral and religious principles.
- Brāhmaṇas are restricted from accepting service under administrators who reject the moral codes of the śāstras. Trading religious principles for an exalted position harms society’s welfare.
Try this today
Offer one practical act of care today to a child or woman in your family who needs support.
Ask yourself
Do my choices show the good character that my learning should support?
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.