Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.7.47
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyCompassion Amid Personal Grief
“My lord, do not make the wife of Droṇācārya cry like me. I am aggrieved for the death of my sons. She need not cry constantly like me.”
What the purport teaches
- Śrīmatī Draupadī was grieving the death of her sons, yet she did not want the wife of Droṇācārya to suffer the same loss.
- Her sympathy came from motherly feelings. She understood the pain of being left childless.
- Draupadī also considered the respectable position of Droṇācārya’s wife and wished to spare her constant tears.
Try this today
Before responding to someone who has hurt you today, pause to consider the grief your response might cause.
Ask yourself
How can my own experience of sorrow help me show compassion to someone else?
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.