Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.20.5
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyPiety Finds Its Goal in Pleasing Kṛṣṇa
“My dear Lord, the distinction observed between piety and sin comes from Your own Vedic knowledge and does not arise by itself. If the same Vedic literature subsequently nullifies such distinction between piety and sin, there will certainly be confusion.”
What the purport teaches
- Vedic knowledge comes from the Personality of Godhead, so whatever Lord Kṛṣṇa speaks is perfect knowledge. Uddhava asks Him to explain the apparent contradiction between distinguishing piety from sin and transcending both.
- Material piety is a means, not an absolute end, because the material world is temporary and limited. Its ultimate goal is going back home, back to Godhead.
- The permanent measure of virtue is whether a person or activity pleases the Lord. Forgetting Him makes morality incomplete, but the purport also acknowledges the danger of atrocities committed in God’s name.
Try this today
Before one action today, pause and consider whether it is meant to please Kṛṣṇa rather than merely establish your own goodness.
Ask yourself
Am I treating goodness as an end in itself, or as a means of pleasing the Supreme Lord?
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.