Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.18.16
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyPurify Actions, Speech and Intention
“A saintly person should step or place his foot on the ground only after verifying with his eyes that there are no living creatures, such as insects, who might be injured by his foot. He should drink water only after filtering it through a portion of his cloth, and he should speak only words that possess the purity of truth. Similarly, he should perform only those activities his mind has carefully ascertained to be pure.”
What the purport teaches
- A saintly person walks carefully to avoid injuring tiny creatures and filters drinking water through cloth to avoid swallowing them.
- Untruths spoken for sense gratification harm devotional service. Impersonal philosophy and praise of material sense gratification also contaminate the heart.
- One should carefully consider whether an activity is pure. The purport teaches that only devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa has ultimate value.
Try this today
Before speaking today, pause once to check that your words are truthful and do not glorify sense gratification.
Ask yourself
Do my words support loving service to the Lord or encourage material sense gratification?
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.