Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.11.6
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesCompassion Protects the Innocent
“When Svāyambhuva Manu saw that his grandson Dhruva Mahārāja was killing so many of the Yakṣas who were not actually offenders, out of his great compassion he approached Dhruva with great sages to give him good instruction.”
What the purport teaches
- Only one Yakṣa was guilty of killing Dhruva Mahārāja’s brother, Uttama. The other citizens were not responsible for that offense.
- Manu did not approve of attacking a whole population for one person’s fault. He wanted Dhruva to stop killing innocent Yakṣas.
- Out of great compassion, Svāyambhuva Manu approached his grandson with great sages to give him good instruction.
Try this today
Review one complaint you have about a group and distinguish the individual’s action from the others’ innocence.
Ask yourself
Do I ever blame an entire group for one person’s wrongdoing?
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.