Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.13.11
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyRoyal Authority Included Counsel and Selection
“For this reason the ministers and all the elderly members of the family thought Utkala to be without intelligence and, in fact, mad. Thus his younger brother, named Vatsara, the son of Bhrami, was elevated to the royal throne, and he became king of the world.”
What the purport teaches
- The ministers and elderly family members considered Utkala unintelligent and mad. They therefore placed his younger brother Vatsara, the son of Bhrami, on the throne.
- Although there was monarchy, it was not an autocracy. Senior family members and ministers could make changes and select the person to rule.
- The ruler still had to come from the royal family. The purport notes that similar choices sometimes occur in modern monarchies.
Try this today
Before making one shared decision today, ask for the view of an experienced person involved.
Ask yourself
Am I willing to receive thoughtful counsel rather than insist on deciding alone?
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.