Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.57.3
Ūti· What drives us to actFlattery Can Encourage Harmful Action
“Taking advantage of this opportunity, O King, Akrūra and Kṛtavarmā went to Śatadhanvā and said, “Why not take the Syamantaka jewel?”
What the purport teaches
- Akrūra and Kṛtavarmā saw Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma’s absence from Dvārakā as an opportunity to have Satrājit killed and the jewel stolen.
- They approached Śatadhanvā and encouraged him to take the Syamantaka jewel.
- Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī explains that they must have flattered Śatadhanvā, calling him braver than themselves and urging him to commit the killing.
Try this today
Before acting on one piece of advice today, consider whether it encourages harm rather than genuine courage.
Ask yourself
Could praise make me accept advice that I would otherwise recognize as harmful?
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.