Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.18.36
Ūti· What drives us to actAngry Words Can Cause Great Harm
“The son of the ṛṣi, his eyes red-hot with anger, touched the water of the River Kauśika while speaking to his playmates and discharged the following thunderbolt of words.”
What the purport teaches
- With eyes red-hot from anger, the sage’s son touched the water of the River Kauśika and released a thunderbolt of words.
- Śṛṅgi was showing his impudence before innocent playmates. The purport describes the circumstances of the curse as childish.
- Killing a king like Mahārāja Parīkṣit merely to display acquired brahminical power was a great mistake. A sensible person would have stopped this harm to human society.
Try this today
If anger rises today, delay your reply until you can speak without trying to display power.
Ask yourself
Am I more likely to speak harshly when others are watching?
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.