Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.84.39
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyRecognize and Fulfill Sacred Debts
“Dear Prabhu, a member of the twice-born classes is born with three kinds of debts — those owed to the demigods, to the sages and to his forefathers. If he leaves his body without first liquidating these debts by performing sacrifice, studying the scriptures and begetting children, he will fall down into a hellish condition.”
What the purport teaches
- A member of the twice-born classes is born with debts to the demigods, the sages and the forefathers.
- The translation names sacrifice, scriptural study and begetting children as ways to discharge these debts. The purport’s śruti quotation specifically names celibacy for a brāhmaṇa’s debt to the sages.
- The verse warns that leaving the body without settling these debts leads to a hellish condition. These obligations are presented as serious responsibilities.
Try this today
Set aside a few minutes today for attentive scriptural study, remembering the debt to the sages described here.
Ask yourself
How does recognizing a debt to the sages change my attitude toward scriptural study?
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.