Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.17.22
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutySpiritual Education Requires Self-Control and Humility
“The twice-born member of society achieves second birth through the sequence of purificatory ceremonies culminating in Gāyatrī initiation. Being summoned by the spiritual master, he should reside within the guru’s āśrama and with a self-controlled mind carefully study the Vedic literature.”
What the purport teaches
- For brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas and vaiśyas, Gāyatrī initiation signifies a second birth through spiritual initiation. Biological birth alone does not establish intelligence or enlightenment.
- The student resides in the spiritual master’s āśrama and carefully studies Vedic literature with a controlled mind. The purport calls for every young boy and girl to learn self-control and study authorized Vedic literature.
- Purificatory rites systematically cleanse character. Those purified in this way give up argumentative and whimsical tendencies and become submissive and eager to learn from a bona fide spiritual master.
Try this today
Spend five undistracted minutes studying this teaching, with an effort to understand rather than argue.
Ask yourself
Do I approach spiritual instruction eager to learn, or eager to argue?
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.