Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.20.14
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyTrue Protection Includes Spiritual Welfare
“To give protection to the general mass of people who are citizens of the state is the prescribed occupational duty for a king. By acting in that way, the king in his next life shares one sixth of the result of the pious activities of the citizens. But a king or executive head of state who simply collects taxes from the citizens but does not give them proper protection as human beings has the results of his own pious activities taken away by the citizens, and in exchange for his not giving protection he becomes liable to punishment for the impious activities of his subjects.”
What the purport teaches
- A king need not abandon his kingdom to attain liberation. He can attain perfection by performing his duty and helping the citizens carry out their duties for spiritual salvation.
- A ruler's real responsibility is to help citizens gradually become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious and free from sinful activities. Collecting taxes without caring for their protection and spiritual welfare neglects that responsibility.
- A protective king shares one sixth of the results of his citizens' pious activities in his next life; a negligent king loses his own pious results and shares responsibility for their sins. Parents and spiritual masters likewise bear responsibility for the spiritual guidance of those in their care.
Try this today
Offer someone in your care a few minutes of support for their spiritual learning today.
Ask yourself
Where you have responsibility for others, do you consider their spiritual welfare as well as their material needs?
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.