Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.64.35
Ūti· What drives us to actPermission Matters; Force Deepens the Harm
“If a person enjoys a brāhmaṇa’s property without receiving due permission, that property destroys three generations of his family. But if he takes it by force or gets the government or other outsiders to help him usurp it, then ten generations of his ancestors and ten generations of his descendants are all destroyed.”
What the purport teaches
- Enjoying a brāhmaṇa’s property without due permission destroys three generations of the offender’s family.
- Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī explains that these three generations are oneself, one’s sons and one’s grandsons.
- Taking the property by force or with help from the government or other outsiders brings greater consequences. Ten generations of ancestors and ten generations of descendants are destroyed.
Try this today
Check one permission you have been assuming, and ask the owner clearly before using the item.
Ask yourself
Am I treating access to someone’s property as though it were proper permission?
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.