Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.16.14
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutySincere Atonement Means Not Repeating Wrongdoing
“Queen Kṛtyadyuti’s co-wives, who had poisoned the child, were very much ashamed, and they lost all their bodily luster. While lamenting, O King, they remembered the instructions of Aṅgirā and gave up their ambition to bear children. Following the directions of the brāhmaṇas, they went to the bank of the Yamunā, where they bathed and atoned for their sinful activities.”
What the purport teaches
- The co-wives who had poisoned the child were deeply ashamed. Remembering Aṅgirā’s instructions, they gave up their ambition to bear children.
- Following the brāhmaṇas’ directions, they bathed in the Yamunā and performed atonement. The purport urges sincere souls to refrain from child-killing and take Kṛṣṇa consciousness seriously.
- The purport teaches that chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra without offenses atones for sinful actions. One must not commit those deeds again, for doing so is an offense.
Try this today
Take a quiet moment to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, and resolve not to repeat one wrong action you regret.
Ask yourself
Am I willing to join regret for wrongdoing with a firm decision not to repeat it?
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.