Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.58.16
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesAuthorized Hunting Is Not Cruel Sport
“A crew of servants carried to King Yudhiṣṭhira the slain animals fit to be offered in sacrifice on some special occasion. Then, feeling thirsty and tired, Arjuna went to the bank of the Yamunā.”
What the purport teaches
- Servants carried animals fit for sacrifice to King Yudhiṣṭhira. Tired and thirsty, Arjuna then went to the Yamunā.
- The purport explains that kṣatriyas hunted to practice fighting, control dangerous beasts and provide animals for Vedic sacrifices.
- Those sacrifices gave the animals new bodies, but priests no longer have that power, so such sacrifices are forbidden now. The purport also condemns cruel killing as a hobby.
Try this today
Write down the purport’s reason why animal sacrifices are forbidden today.
Ask yourself
Do I clearly distinguish the authorized purposes described here from cruelty for recreation?
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.