Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.64.34
Ūti· What drives us to actAvoid the Fire of Stolen Property
“Poison kills only the person who ingests it, and an ordinary fire may be extinguished with water. But the fire generated from the kindling wood of a brāhmaṇa’s property burns the thief’s entire family down to the root.”
What the purport teaches
- Poison kills only the person who takes it, and ordinary fire can be extinguished with water. Stealing a brāhmaṇa’s property brings consequences that reach the thief’s entire family.
- Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī compares this to a fire burning inside an old tree. Even numerous rainfalls cannot extinguish it.
- Such a fire burns the whole tree down to its roots. The purport therefore says that stealing a brāhmaṇa’s property should be avoided at all costs.
Try this today
Before using anything belonging to a brāhmaṇa today, check that you have permission.
Ask yourself
How does this warning deepen my care for a brāhmaṇa’s property?
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.