Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.14.17
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyWell-Being Includes Those Who Support Us
“The great sage Aṅgirā said: My dear King, I hope that your body and mind and your royal associates and paraphernalia are well. When the seven properties of material nature [the total material energy, the ego and the five objects of sense gratification] are in proper order, the living entity within the material elements is happy. Without these seven elements one cannot exist. Similarly, a king is always protected by seven elements — his instructor (svāmī or guru), his ministers, his kingdom, his fort, his treasury, his royal order and his friends.”
What the purport teaches
- A king is not alone: his spiritual master is his supreme guide. His ministers, kingdom, fortifications, treasury, law and order, and allies also support him.
- The soul lives within the material covering of the mahat-tattva, ego and five objects of sense gratification. When these seven are in proper order, the embodied living entity feels pleasure.
- Aṅgirā inquired about both the King's health and his associates. Similarly, caring about a friend's welfare includes concern for family, livelihood and helpers.
Try this today
Ask a friend about both their own well-being and one aspect of their family or livelihood.
Ask yourself
When I ask someone how they are, do I also care about the people and responsibilities supporting their life?
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.