Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.2.21
Ūti· What drives us to actStrength Does Not Mean Harming the Helpless
“Kaṁsa thought: What is my duty now? The Supreme Lord, who knows His purpose will not give up His prowess. Devakī is a woman, she is my sister, and moreover she is now pregnant. If I kill her, my reputation, opulence and duration of life will certainly be vanquished.”
What the purport teaches
- According to Vedic principles, a woman, a brāhmaṇa, an old man, a child and a cow should never be killed. Even Kaṁsa, an enemy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, knew these principles.
- Kaṁsa understood that the soul passes from one body to another and suffers in the next life according to its actions in this life. He feared the consequences of killing Devakī.
- Killing his pregnant sister, who was under his shelter, would not demonstrate heroism. A kṣatriya should fight an enemy face to face with proper weapons, so Kaṁsa refrained from killing her.
Try this today
Do one practical act of protection or care today for a child, an older person or an animal.
Ask yourself
Do I use my strength to protect those under my care?
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.