Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.13.10
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyServe Respectfully and Without Envy
“O hero, your example is quite befitting a son in relationship with his father. This sort of adoration for the superior is required. One who is beyond the limit of envy and who is sane accepts the order of his father with great delight and executes it to his full capacity.”
What the purport teaches
- Brahmā praised Manu’s respectful obedience. One free from envy accepts a father’s order with delight and carries it out to full capacity.
- The four sages’ earlier refusal had distressed Brahmā, but their disobedience served a higher purpose. They were therefore free from its reaction.
- The purport distinguishes that higher purpose from disobedience on material grounds, which brings disciplinary reaction. Manu’s conduct is the example recommended for ordinary dealings.
Try this today
Carry out one appropriate request from your father or a superior today with care and without resentment.
Ask yourself
When receiving a reasonable instruction, do I respond with resentment or with willing respect?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.