Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.21.10
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyPurity Depends on Contact and Purpose
“An object’s purity or impurity is established by application of another object, by words, by rituals, by the effects of time or according to relative magnitude.”
What the purport teaches
- An object's purity or impurity depends on contact with other substances, words, rituals, time and relative magnitude. Clean water purifies cloth, while some foods become impure through decay.
- Pure rituals are meant to satisfy the Supreme Lord. Flowers and food must not be smelled or tasted before being offered to the Deity.
- A saintly devotee explains actual purity, whereas a nondevotee may mislead others into sinful activities. A person whose devotion is small can easily be carried away by bad association.
Try this today
Choose to hear a saintly devotee's explanation of spiritual life today.
Ask yourself
Which influences strengthen my devotion, and which leave me doubtful or distracted?
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.