Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.78.31-32
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyThe Lord’s Example Benefits Everyone
“You have unknowingly killed a brāhmaṇa. Of course, even the injunctions of revealed scripture cannot dictate to You, the Lord of all mystic power. But if by Your own free will You nonetheless carry out the prescribed purification for this slaying of a brāhmaṇa, O purifier of the whole world, people in general will greatly benefit by Your example.”
What the purport teaches
- The sages described the killing as the unknowing slaying of a brāhmaṇa.
- They acknowledged that even revealed scripture cannot dictate to the Lord of all mystic power. Any purification He undertook would be by His own free will.
- Addressing Him as the purifier of the whole world, they asked Him to perform the prescribed purification. People in general would greatly benefit from His example.
Try this today
Follow one religious duty you already know today, mindful that your example can help others.
Ask yourself
How might my willingness to follow religious guidance benefit others?
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.