Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.18.30
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyAvoid Arguments That Obstruct Devotion
“A devotee should never engage in the fruitive rituals mentioned in the karma-kāṇḍa section of the Vedas, nor should he become atheistic, acting or speaking in opposition to Vedic injunctions. Similarly, he should never speak like a mere logician or skeptic or take any side whatsoever in useless arguments.”
What the purport teaches
- A devotee should avoid fruitive Vedic rituals and should never act or speak against Vedic injunctions. Concealing an exalted spiritual position does not justify these activities.
- Spiritual truth extends beyond material experience, so mundane logic and experimentation alone cannot establish it. A devotee should not take sides in useless arguments.
- The purport warns against reading atheistic literature, even to prepare arguments against it. These activities obstruct Kṛṣṇa consciousness and should not be adopted even as a show.
Try this today
Step away from one useless argument today rather than taking either side.
Ask yourself
Which arguments draw my attention away from progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness?
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.