Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 12.2.41
Ūti· What drives us to actGive Up Violence Through Kṛṣṇa Consciousness
“Even though a person’s body may now have the designation “king,” in the end its name will be “worms,” “stool” or “ashes.” What can a person who injures other living beings for the sake of his body know about his own self-interest, since his activities are simply leading him to hell?”
What the purport teaches
- Even a body called “king” will eventually become worms, stool or ashes.
- Injuring other living beings for this temporary body leads toward hell, not true self-interest. Nonhuman beings are also creatures of God.
- One should give up all envious violence and learn to see God in everything through Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Try this today
Choose one concrete way today to avoid harming a human or nonhuman creature, remembering that both are creatures of God.
Ask yourself
Am I overlooking harm to another creature for the sake of my own bodily comfort?
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.