Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.13.22
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyEven Kings Answer to Religious Authority
“Vidura also inquired: How is it that the great sages, who were completely conversant with religious principles, desired to curse King Vena, who himself carried the rod of punishment, and thus awarded him the greatest punishment [brahma-śāpa]?”
What the purport teaches
- Vidura asked why sages fully conversant with religious principles had cursed the king, who himself carried the rod of punishment.
- The purport reasons that Vena must have done something very serious. Otherwise, such tolerant sages would not have punished him.
- The king was not independent of brahminical culture. The brāhmaṇas could dethrone him or, through the mantra of a brahma-śāpa, cause his death without a weapon.
Try this today
Before making one decision that affects others today, pause to consider whether it accords with religious principles.
Ask yourself
What does the king’s accountability teach me about the limits of personal authority?
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.