Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.7.53-54
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyKṛṣṇa Guides Through Conflicting Duties
“The Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: A friend of a brāhmaṇa is not to be killed, but if he is an aggressor he must be killed. All these rulings are in the scriptures, and you should act accordingly. You have to fulfill your promise to your wife, and you must also act to the satisfaction of Bhīmasena and Me.”
What the purport teaches
- Arjuna faced conflicting scriptural rulings: Aśvatthāmā was not to be killed as a brahma-bandhu, an unworthy son of a brāhmaṇa, yet an aggressor was liable to be killed.
- Although Aśvatthāmā was an aggressor, he stood without fighting weapons. The purport explains that an aggressor without a weapon or chariot cannot be killed.
- Arjuna also had to fulfill his promise to Draupadī and satisfy Bhīma and Kṛṣṇa. The solution to this dilemma was provided by Kṛṣṇa.
Try this today
Write down the different obligations in one difficult decision before taking action today.
Ask yourself
When duties seem to conflict, do I carefully consider all the obligations involved?
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.