Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.5.13
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyReligious Concessions Are Meant for Purification
“According to the Vedic injunctions, when wine is offered in sacrificial ceremonies it is later to be consumed by smelling, and not by drinking. Similarly, the sacrificial offering of animals is permitted, but there is no provision for wide-scale animal slaughter. Religious sex life is also permitted, but only in marriage for begetting children, and not for sensuous exploitation of the body. Unfortunately, however, the less intelligent materialists cannot understand that their duties in life should be performed purely on the spiritual platform.”
What the purport teaches
- Vedic permissions are carefully restricted: sacrificial wine is smelled, not drunk, and married sex life is for begetting children, not bodily exploitation.
- Properly performed animal sacrifice demonstrated the potency of Vedic mantras by elevating the animal. Caitanya Mahāprabhu forbade it in this age because qualified brāhmaṇas are lacking.
- The Lord gives scriptural concessions for gradual purification, not unrestricted enjoyment. Exploiting them hides the spiritual purpose of duty and deepens the bodily concept of life.
Try this today
Examine one choice today and ask whether it supports spiritual purification or merely bodily enjoyment.
Ask yourself
Am I using religious guidance for purification, or looking for permission to satisfy my senses?
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.