Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.4.35
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyEven Fighting Has Principles
“When the demigods are bereft of their chariots, when they forget how to use weapons, when they are fearful or attached to something other than fighting, or when their bows are broken and they have thus lost the ability to fight, Your Majesty does not kill them.”
What the purport teaches
- There are principles that govern even fighting. An enemy without a chariot, overcome by fear, or unwilling to fight is not to be killed.
- Kaṁsa’s ministers reminded him that he had spared the demigods because they were incapable of fighting.
- The ministers then urged him to abandon this mercy and traditional etiquette. They wanted him to chastise the enemy at any cost.
Try this today
In one disagreement today, refuse to take advantage of the other person’s helplessness.
Ask yourself
Do I let a sense of urgency excuse abandoning mercy?
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.