Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.26.14
Ūti· What drives us to actKilling a Brāhmaṇa Has Grave Consequences
“The killer of a brāhmaṇa is put into the hell known as Kālasūtra, which has a circumference of eighty thousand miles and which is made entirely of copper. Heated from below by fire and from above by the scorching sun, the copper surface of this planet is extremely hot. Thus the murderer of a brāhmaṇa suffers from being burned both internally and externally. Internally he is burning with hunger and thirst, and externally he is burning from the scorching heat of the sun and the fire beneath the copper surface. Therefore he sometimes lies down, sometimes sits, sometimes stands up and sometimes runs here and there. He must suffer in this way for as many thousands of years as there are hairs on the body of an animal.”
What the purport teaches
- The killer of a brāhmaṇa is sent to Kālasūtra, a copper hell with a circumference of eighty thousand miles.
- Fire below and the scorching sun above heat its surface. The person suffers externally from heat and internally from hunger and thirst.
- Changing position or running about brings no relief. The suffering lasts as many thousands of years as there are hairs on an animal’s body.
Try this today
Take a quiet moment today to reflect on the grave consequences of violence against a brāhmaṇa.
Ask yourself
How does this warning deepen my sense of the seriousness of taking a life?
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.