Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.66.40
Ūti· What drives us to actViolence Turns Against Its Creators
“Frustrated by the power of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s weapon, O King, the fiery creature produced by black magic turned his face away and retreated. Created for violence, the demon then returned to Vārāṇasī, where he surrounded the city and then burned Sudakṣiṇa and his priests to death, even though Sudakṣiṇa was his creator.”
What the purport teaches
- Frustrated by the power of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s weapon, the fiery demon retreated to Vārāṇasī. There he burned Sudakṣiṇa and his priests to ashes.
- Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that, according to these black-art mantras, a weapon that fails to kill the enemy kills its original creator. Sudakṣiṇa originated the attack, and the priests assisted him.
- The purport identifies this as the way of demons: they create something to kill God, but that same weapon kills them.
Try this today
Refrain from one hurtful word or retaliatory action today, remembering the destructive purpose shown here.
Ask yourself
Am I allowing any wish to harm someone to shape my actions?
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.