Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.9.18
Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protectionWorship Does Not Excuse Sin
“Intolerant of the offenses committed, the infuriated Goddess Kālī flashed her eyes and displayed her fierce, curved teeth. Her reddish eyes glowed, and she displayed her fearsome features. She assumed a frightening body, as if she were prepared to destroy the entire creation. Leaping violently from the altar, she immediately decapitated all the rogues and thieves with the very sword with which they had intended to kill Jaḍa Bharata. She then began to drink the hot blood that flowed from the necks of the beheaded rogues and thieves, as if this blood were liquor. Indeed, she drank this intoxicant with her associates, who were witches and female demons. Becoming intoxicated with this blood, they all began to sing very loudly and dance as though prepared to annihilate the entire universe. At the same time, they began to play with the heads of the rogues and thieves, tossing them about as if they were balls.”
What the purport teaches
- Goddess Kālī punished the thieves with the very sword they had intended to use against Jaḍa Bharata. Their offerings did not secure her favor.
- The purport explains that punishing demons is part of goddess Kālī’s work. Those who worship her for material benefit are not excused from sins committed in the name of worship.
- Śrīla Prabhupāda warns against neglecting Kṛṣṇa consciousness while offering abominable things to the goddess. He specifically forbids sacrificing a man or animal before the deity.
Try this today
Set aside one request for material benefit today and instead express your wish to develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Ask yourself
Do I ever use religious activity to excuse conduct that needs to change?
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.