Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.26.15
Ūti· What drives us to actFaithfully Follow Religious Principles
“If a person deviates from the path of the Vedas in the absence of an emergency, the servants of Yamarāja put him into the hell called Asi-patravana, where they beat him with whips. When he runs hither and thither, fleeing from the extreme pain, on all sides he runs into palm trees with leaves like sharpened swords. Thus injured all over his body and fainting at every step, he cries out, “Oh, what shall I do now! How shall I be saved!” This is how one suffers who deviates from the accepted religious principles.”
What the purport teaches
- The purport states that the one religious principle is to follow the orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- Whatever religious system one accepts, one should follow its principles strictly rather than invent a religious path within the mind.
- The verse warns that departing from the path of the Vedas without an emergency leads to suffering in Asi-patravana. Human life requires adherence to religious principles.
Try this today
Choose one religious duty you have accepted and carry it out carefully today.
Ask yourself
Which religious principle have I accepted but need to follow more faithfully?
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.