Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.1.8
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyAddress Wrongdoing Without Delay
“Therefore, before one’s next death comes, as long as one’s body is strong enough, one should quickly adopt the process of atonement according to śāstra; otherwise one’s time will be lost, and the reactions of his sins will increase. As an expert physician diagnoses and treats a disease according to its gravity, one should undergo atonement according to the severity of one’s sins.”
What the purport teaches
- Atonement should be undertaken promptly, while the body is still strong enough. Delay wastes time and allows sinful reactions to increase.
- An expert physician treats a disease according to its seriousness. Similarly, atonement must correspond to the gravity of the sinful act.
- The purport advises consulting established śāstric injunctions rather than inventing remedies. It notes that people seek guidance from expert scholars about counteracting sinful activities.
Try this today
Write down one wrong you need to address and one question to ask a qualified scriptural teacher about correcting it.
Ask yourself
Is there a wrong I am postponing addressing because I find it uncomfortable?
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.