Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.78.25-26
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyScriptural Learning Must Produce Good Qualities
“Although he is a disciple of the divine sage Vyāsa and has thoroughly learned many scriptures from him, including the lawbooks of religious duties and the epic histories and Purāṇas, all this study has not produced good qualities in him. Rather, his study of the scriptures is like an actor’s studying his part, for he is not self-controlled or humble and vainly presumes himself a scholarly authority, though he has failed to conquer his own mind.”
What the purport teaches
- Thorough study of scriptures should produce humility and self-control. Without these qualities, learning can become like an actor’s studying his part.
- A person may presume to be a scholarly authority while still failing to conquer the mind. Religious knowledge alone does not establish good character.
- Lord Balarāma’s strong criticism refutes the suggestion that Romaharṣaṇa merely made an innocent mistake by failing to recognize Him.
Try this today
Choose one teaching you have studied and put it into practice today through a humble response or an act of self-control.
Ask yourself
Is my spiritual study helping me become more humble and self-controlled?
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.