Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.54.39
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyRestraint Toward a Guilty Relative
“[Again addressing Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma said:] A relative should not be killed even if his wrongdoing warrants capital punishment. Rather, he should be thrown out of the family. Since he has already been killed by his own sin, why kill him again?”
What the purport teaches
- Balarāma says that a relative should not be killed even when his wrongdoing warrants capital punishment. Rather, he should be excluded from the family.
- He describes such a person as already killed by his own sin and asks why he should be killed again.
- To further encourage Rukmiṇī, Balarāma again emphasizes that Kṛṣṇa should not humiliate Rukmī.
Try this today
Today, refrain from repeating one remark that would humiliate a relative who has done wrong.
Ask yourself
Can I recognize wrongdoing without wanting to add humiliation to its consequences?
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.