Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.13.12-13
Ūti· What drives us to actSinful Reaction Pursues Indra
“Indra saw personified sinful reaction chasing him, appearing like a caṇḍāla woman, a woman of the lowest class. She seemed very old, and all the limbs of her body trembled. Because she was afflicted with tuberculosis, her body and garments were covered with blood. Breathing an unbearable fishy odor that polluted the entire street, she called to Indra, “Wait! Wait!””
What the purport teaches
- Indra saw his sinful reaction personified as an old, trembling caṇḍāla woman chasing him.
- Her body and garments were covered with blood. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that a person afflicted with tuberculosis often vomits blood, making the garments bloody.
- Her breath polluted the street with an unbearable fishy odor as she called to Indra, “Wait! Wait!”
Try this today
Before one decision today, pause and consider whether the action could bring harmful consequences.
Ask yourself
How does this vivid description help me take the consequences of sinful actions seriously?
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.