Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.29.25
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyKṛṣṇa Consciousness Comes Before Misused Authority
“Women who desire a good destination in the next life should never abandon a husband who has not fallen from his religious standards, even if he is obnoxious, unfortunate, old, unintelligent, sickly or poor.”
What the purport teaches
- The instruction not to abandon a husband despite poverty, sickness or other shortcomings includes an essential condition: he has not fallen from religious standards.
- Kṛṣṇa consciousness cannot be subordinated to another religious principle. A guru who engages a follower in materialistic, sinful activities loses his status as a guru.
- Guidance should be pure, sincere and grounded in spiritual life, not abuse or exploitation. The gopīs, as eternal lovers of the Absolute Truth, are beyond positive and negative religious considerations.
Try this today
Write down the purport’s standard for guidance: pure, sincere and steadfast in spiritual life.
Ask yourself
Do I distinguish sincere spiritual guidance from authority that draws someone away from spiritual principles?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.