Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.1.7
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyAtonement and the Strength of Devotional Service
“Śukadeva Gosvāmī replied: My dear King, if before one’s next death whatever impious acts one has performed in this life with his mind, words and body are not counteracted through proper atonement according to the description of the Manu-saṁhitā and other dharma-śāstras, one will certainly enter the hellish planets after death and undergo terrible suffering, as I have previously described to you.”
What the purport teaches
- Impious acts can be performed through the mind, words and body. Śukadeva Gosvāmī first recommends counteracting them through atonement prescribed in the dharma-śāstras.
- This initial answer tests Mahārāja Parīkṣit’s intelligence rather than immediately explaining bhakti. Those who do not take to devotional service must follow the scriptures’ directions for atonement.
- Devotional service is so strong that full surrender to Kṛṣṇa immediately stops sinful reactions. Kṛṣṇa promises to free those who surrender to Him from all sinful reactions and give them liberation.
Try this today
Take a minute today to pray to Kṛṣṇa for help in surrendering to Him and taking up His devotional service.
Ask yourself
What would it mean for me to seek shelter in Kṛṣṇa rather than only try to cancel past mistakes?
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.