Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.9.23
Nirodha· Winding upRespect Devotees and Avoid Insulting Others
“The Lord continued: Sometime in the future your brother, Uttama, will go hunting in the forest, and while absorbed in hunting, he will be killed. Your stepmother, Suruci, being maddened upon the death of her son, will go to search him out in the forest, but she will be devoured by a forest fire.”
What the purport teaches
- Suruci insulted Dhruva Mahārāja without knowing that he was a great Vaiṣṇava. The purport teaches that even an unknowingly committed offense against a Vaiṣṇava brings a bad result.
- We should never try to insult a Vaiṣṇava, nor should we insult anyone unnecessarily. A Vaiṣṇava is especially favored by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- Pleasing a pure Vaiṣṇava pleases the Supreme Lord. By pleasing the spiritual master, who is a pure Vaiṣṇava, one pleases the Personality of Godhead.
Try this today
Before one conversation today, pause and resolve to avoid insulting words.
Ask yourself
How can I be more careful to speak respectfully, even when I do not recognize someone's spiritual standing?
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.