Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.89.26-27
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyArjuna Questions the Failure to Protect
“When the ninth child died, Arjuna, who was near Lord Keśava, happened to overhear the brāhmaṇa lamenting. Thus Arjuna addressed the brāhmaṇa: “What is the matter, my dear brāhmaṇa? Isn’t there some lowly member of the royal order here who can at least stand before your house with a bow in his hand? These kṣatriyas are behaving as if they were brāhmaṇas idly engaged in fire sacrifices.”
What the purport teaches
- When the ninth child died, Arjuna was near Lord Keśava and overheard the brāhmaṇa’s lamentation.
- Arjuna addressed the brāhmaṇa and asked whether any member of the royal order could stand before his house with a bow.
- He criticized the kṣatriyas for behaving like brāhmaṇas occupied with fire sacrifices. His words called attention to their duty to protect.
Try this today
Choose one duty of care that is yours today and take one concrete step to fulfill it.
Ask yourself
Am I attending to the responsibilities that belong to my role?
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.