Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 12.3.38
Ūti· What drives us to actReligious Appearance Is Not Religious Knowledge
“Uncultured men will accept charity on behalf of the Lord and will earn their livelihood by making a show of austerity and wearing a mendicant’s dress. Those who know nothing about religion will mount a high seat and presume to speak on religious principles.”
What the purport teaches
- Uncultured men will accept charity on behalf of the Lord. They will make their livelihood through a show of austerity and a mendicant's dress.
- People who know nothing about religion will occupy a high seat and presume to teach religious principles.
- The purport identifies this as an epidemic of bogus gurus, swamis and priests. Dress, austerity and position do not by themselves establish religious knowledge.
Try this today
Before accepting one religious claim today, examine its teaching rather than the speaker's clothing or status.
Ask yourself
Do I judge a religious teacher by outward appearance or by genuine knowledge of religious principles?
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.