Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.19.33-35
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyDevotedly Cultivate Discipline and Daily Duties
“The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Nonviolence, truthfulness, not coveting or stealing the property of others, detachment, humility, freedom from possessiveness, trust in the principles of religion, celibacy, silence, steadiness, forgiveness and fearlessness are the twelve primary disciplinary principles. Internal cleanliness, external cleanliness, chanting the holy names of the Lord, austerity, sacrifice, faith, hospitality, worship of Me, visiting holy places, acting and desiring only for the supreme interest, satisfaction, and service to the spiritual master are the twelve elements of regular prescribed duties. These twenty-four elements bestow all desired benedictions upon those persons who devotedly cultivate them.”
What the purport teaches
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead gives twelve disciplinary principles, including nonviolence, truthfulness, humility, forgiveness and fearlessness. These also include not coveting or stealing others’ property and freedom from possessiveness.
- The twelve regular duties include internal and external cleanliness, chanting the Lord’s holy names, worship, hospitality and service to the spiritual master. Acting and desiring only for the supreme interest, along with satisfaction, also belongs to these duties.
- These twenty-four elements bestow all desired benedictions upon those who cultivate them devotedly. The Lord presents both restraint and regular duties as things to practice.
Try this today
Set aside a brief time today to chant the holy names of the Lord.
Ask yourself
Which of these principles or duties could I cultivate more devotedly today?
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.