Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.17.19
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutySincere Service Within a Caring Society
“Service without duplicity to the brāhmaṇas, cows, demigods and other worshipable personalities, and complete satisfaction with whatever income is obtained in such service, are the natural qualities of śūdras.”
What the purport teaches
- The natural qualities of śūdras include service without duplicity to brāhmaṇas, cows, demigods and other worshipable personalities, with satisfaction in the income obtained.
- Such satisfaction does not mean lacking life’s necessities. In a properly functioning Vedic society, kṣatriyas and vaiśyas are abundantly generous, and brāhmaṇas are merciful.
- When all social classes follow Vedic injunctions, everyone can be happy and satisfied. The purport describes a blissful human society under the guidance of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Try this today
Help meet one person’s basic need today through a small, generous act.
Ask yourself
How can I pair sincere service with concern for another person’s necessities?
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.