Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.22.5
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyTeach Respect Through Personal Example
“After this, the King took the water which had washed the lotus feet of the Kumāras and sprinkled it over his hair. By such respectful actions, the King, as an exemplary personality, showed how to receive a spiritually advanced personality.”
What the purport teaches
- Pṛthu Mahārāja sprinkled on his hair the water that had washed the Kumāras’ lotus feet. He showed others how to honor spiritually advanced persons.
- Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu practiced what He taught. Although recognized as an incarnation of Kṛṣṇa, He did not agree to be addressed as one.
- One should not advertise oneself as an incarnation or as specially empowered by Kṛṣṇa. Pṛthu Mahārāja taught as an ideal Vaiṣṇava king through his own behavior.
Try this today
Choose one respectful action you want others to learn, and quietly practice it yourself today.
Ask yourself
Does my behavior show the respect that I encourage others to offer?
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.