Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.3.33
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesSpiritual Education Prepares Responsible Parents
“When both of you were ordered by Lord Brahmā to create progeny, you first underwent severe austerities by controlling your senses.”
What the purport teaches
- Before creating progeny, the couple controlled their senses and underwent severe austerities. The purport teaches that procreation should follow religious principles, beginning with garbhādhāna-saṁskāra.
- Spiritual education helps people restrain their senses and understand their responsibility to their children. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the foundation of this responsibility.
- One should not become a parent unless able to guide the child away from the path of birth and death. Raising children to become devotees makes family life successful.
Try this today
Write down one way spiritual education can help a parent guide a child toward devotion.
Ask yourself
How does seeing parenthood as a spiritual responsibility change my understanding of family life?
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.