Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.2.22
Ūti· What drives us to actLeave Cruelty and Bodily Identification Behind
“A person who is very cruel is regarded as dead even while living, for while he is living or after his death, everyone condemns him. And after the death of a person in the bodily concept of life, he is undoubtedly transferred to the hell known as Andhatama.”
What the purport teaches
- A very cruel person is condemned both while living and after death. Understanding the soul's transmigration, Kaṁsa refrained from killing Devakī.
- Thinking “I am this body” draws a person into sinful activities for sense gratification. Such actions bind one to repeated material bodies, which are temporary and sources of misery.
- Human life is a boon obtained after many births. Its purpose is to leave the bodily concept of life and realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Try this today
Before one choice about bodily enjoyment today, pause and ask whether it causes harm; choose the non-cruel option.
Ask yourself
When does concern for my own bodily comfort make me overlook harm to others?
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.