Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 12.6.27
Ūti· What drives us to actStop Actions Intended to Harm
“Therefore, my dear King, please stop this sacrificial performance, which was initiated with the intent of doing harm to others. Many innocent snakes have already been burned to death. Indeed, all persons must suffer the unforeseen consequences of their past activities.”
What the purport teaches
- The King is asked to stop the sacrificial performance because it was initiated with the intent of harming others.
- Many innocent snakes had already been burned to death. The translation also states that people suffer unforeseen consequences of their past activities.
- Bṛhaspati admits that although the snakes appeared innocent, by the Lord’s arrangement they were being punished for previous vicious activities.
Try this today
Stop one action or withhold one remark today that is intended to hurt another.
Ask yourself
Is any action I am pursuing motivated by a wish to harm someone?
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.