Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.9.12
Ūti· What drives us to actMaterial Desire Can Drive Cruel Worship
“At this time, being desirous of obtaining a son, a leader of dacoits who came from a śūdra family wanted to worship the goddess Bhadra Kālī by offering her in sacrifice a dull man, who is considered no better than an animal.”
What the purport teaches
- A leader of dacoits desired a son and wanted to worship Bhadra Kālī to fulfill that desire.
- He intended to offer a human sacrifice, choosing a person he regarded as dull and no better than an animal.
- The purport describes how worship aimed at fulfilling material desires can involve killing a human being before the deity.
Try this today
Write down one material result you seek through worship and honestly examine that motive.
Ask yourself
How do material desires influence what I seek through worship?
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.