Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.16.4
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyLeadership Means Protection, Not Self-Importance
“Once, when Mahārāja Parīkṣit was on his way to conquer the world, he saw the master of Kali-yuga, who was lower than a śūdra, disguised as a king and hurting the legs of a cow and bull. The King at once caught hold of him to deal sufficient punishment.”
What the purport teaches
- Mahārāja Parīkṣit's tour was not for aggression or self-aggrandizement. As the Lord's representative, he was inspecting whether the state was being governed according to the Lord's will.
- When he saw a man dressed as a king hurting a cow and bull, he immediately intervened. The purport explains that cow protection is essential for maintaining brahminical culture.
- Brahminical culture requires education in the quality of goodness. Leaders without higher aims encourage mismanagement and quarrel, which Mahārāja Parīkṣit wanted to stop at their beginning.
Try this today
Use one opportunity today to care for an animal rather than ignore its needs.
Ask yourself
Do I use the responsibility I have to protect others or to increase my own importance?
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.