Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.13.43
Mukti· LiberationGood Qualities Matter More Than Having Sons
“The King thought to himself: Persons who have no son are certainly fortunate. They must have worshiped the Lord in their previous lives so that they would not have to suffer the unbearable unhappiness caused by a bad son.”
What the purport teaches
- In his grief, the King thought that people without sons were fortunate. He imagined that their previous worship of the Lord had spared them the unbearable suffering caused by a bad son.
- The purport notes the saying that married life without a son is empty. Yet merely having a son does not ensure happiness.
- A son without good qualities is compared to a blind eye that cannot see and causes unbearable pain. The King therefore considered himself very unfortunate.
Try this today
Acknowledge one good quality in a family member today.
Ask yourself
Do I value good qualities more than simply having the family circumstances I desire?
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.