Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.20.1
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutySeek Clarity About the Lord’s Instructions
“Śrī Uddhava said: My dear lotus-eyed Kṛṣṇa, You are the Supreme Lord, and thus the Vedic literatures, consisting of positive and negative injunctions, constitute Your order. Such literatures focus upon the good and bad qualities of work.”
What the purport teaches
- Śrī Uddhava recognizes Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Lord. The Vedic instructions about what to do and what to avoid constitute His orders.
- The Vedic literatures distinguish between pious and sinful work. Yet Lord Kṛṣṇa has said that actual piety means transcending both.
- Uddhava outwardly challenges the Lord’s statement to invite a fuller explanation. His question helps clarify this difficult subject.
Try this today
Write down one sincere question you have about the distinction between material piety and transcending it.
Ask yourself
When an instruction seems difficult to understand, do I seek clarification with respect?
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.