Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.14.56
Ūti· What drives us to actDevotion Frees One from Karmic Obligations
“My dear son, I am helpless and very much aggrieved. You should not give up my company. Just look at your lamenting father. We are helpless because without a son we shall have to suffer the distress of going to the darkest hellish regions. You are the only hope by which we can get out of these dark regions. Therefore I request you not to go any further with the merciless Yama.”
What the purport teaches
- The Queen begs her son not to leave with Yama. She fears that without him, she and the King will suffer in the darkest regions.
- The purport explains the Vedic injunction to beget a son who can offer oblations to the forefathers and deliver his parents from Yamarāja’s clutches.
- These subtle laws apply to karmīs. One who becomes a devotee has no further obligations to the laws of karma.
Try this today
Take one quiet minute to renew your intention to become a devotee, rather than relying only on family arrangements.
Ask yourself
Am I placing my ultimate hope in family obligations or in becoming a devotee?
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.