Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.1.22
Ūti· What drives us to actSurrender Helps Restrain Harmful Habits
“This fallen brāhmaṇa, Ajāmila, gave trouble to others by arresting them, by cheating them in gambling or by directly plundering them. This was the way he earned his livelihood and maintained his wife and children.”
What the purport teaches
- Ajāmila maintained his family by arresting, cheating, and plundering others. His livelihood caused suffering to other living beings.
- The purport warns that illicit sex encourages further harmful habits, including meat-eating, gambling, and intoxication. These habits damage both individuals and society.
- Restraint is difficult, but it becomes possible through full surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Harmful habits gradually become distasteful to a Kṛṣṇa conscious person.
Try this today
Identify one harmful habit you need to restrain, and ask Kṛṣṇa for help before declining one opportunity to indulge it today.
Ask yourself
Is any habit of mine causing harm to others while I justify it as necessary?
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.