Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.9.15
Ūti· What drives us to actFollow Scripture, Not Invented Rituals
“After this, all the thieves, according to their imaginative ritual for killing animalistic men, bathed Jaḍa Bharata, dressed him in new clothes, decorated him with ornaments befitting an animal, smeared his body with scented oils and decorated him with tilaka, sandalwood pulp and garlands. They fed him sumptuously and then brought him before the goddess Kālī, offering her incense, lamps, garlands, parched grain, newly grown twigs, sprouts, fruits and flowers. In this way they worshiped the deity before killing the man-animal, and they vibrated songs and prayers and played drums and bugles. Jaḍa Bharata was then made to sit down before the deity.”
What the purport teaches
- The thieves prepared Jaḍa Bharata for sacrifice according to their own invented ritual. The purport emphasizes that religious activities must follow the regulative principles of the Vedic śāstras.
- The tamasic śāstras mention certain animal sacrifices before goddess Kālī, but they do not authorize killing a human being. The dacoits manufactured this process themselves.
- Scriptural concessions for meat-eating and sex are meant to restrict these tendencies and gradually bring them to an end. They are not encouragement for unrestricted indulgence.
Try this today
Reread one instruction in this purport and write down the difference between a concession and its intended goal.
Ask yourself
Am I seeking scriptural guidance, or merely approval for what I already want to do?
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.