Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.26.31
Ūti· What drives us to actCruel Sacrifice Brings Suffering in Return
“There are men and women in this world who sacrifice human beings to Bhairava or Bhadra Kālī and then eat their victims’ flesh. Those who perform such sacrifices are taken after death to the abode of Yamarāja, where their victims, having taken the form of Rākṣasas, cut them to pieces with sharpened swords. Just as in this world the man-eaters drank their victims’ blood, dancing and singing in jubilation, their victims now enjoy drinking the blood of the sacrificers and celebrating in the same way.”
What the purport teaches
- The verse describes men and women who sacrifice human beings to Bhairava or Bhadra Kālī and eat their victims’ flesh.
- After death, these sacrificers are taken to the abode of Yamarāja. Their victims, now in the form of Rākṣasas, punish them.
- The suffering they inflicted returns upon them, and their victims celebrate as the sacrificers once did. The verse warns against taking pleasure in cruelty.
Try this today
Today, refrain from joining in any amusement that celebrates someone being hurt.
Ask yourself
Do I ever take pleasure in another person’s suffering?
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.