Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.21.16
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyKṛṣṇa Consciousness Is Good in Every Circumstance
“Sometimes piety becomes sin, and sometimes what is ordinarily sin becomes piety on the strength of Vedic injunctions. Such special rules in effect eradicate the clear distinction between piety and sin.”
What the purport teaches
- Material piety and sin depend on circumstances and Vedic injunctions. Breaking a neighbor's roof is ordinarily criminal, but doing so to rescue a trapped family from fire is heroic.
- The relativity of material rules does not mean that one may do whatever one likes or that no absolute good exists. Human beings remain responsible for their actions.
- Kṛṣṇa consciousness is absolutely good because it means complete obedience to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Unlike changing material judgments, it is valid and perfect in all circumstances.
Try this today
Examine one decision today and ask whether it supports obedience and devotional service to Kṛṣṇa.
Ask yourself
Do I use complicated circumstances to excuse my desires, or seek obedience to Kṛṣṇa?
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.