Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.5.36
Ūti· What drives us to actRecognize Saintly Service Beyond Personal Expectations
“Prajāpati Dakṣa said: Alas, Nārada Muni, you wear the dress of a saintly person, but you are not actually a saint. Indeed, although I am now in gṛhastha life, I am a saintly person. By showing my sons the path of renunciation, you have done me an abominable injustice.”
What the purport teaches
- People in different spiritual orders can be sādhus when they properly fulfill their duties. Although Dakṣa had performed great austerities, his fault-finding led him to wrongly call Nārada nonsaintly.
- Nārada and his followers must show people the path of renouncing the material world and returning home, back to Godhead. Dakṣa could not appreciate this service because it frustrated his plans for his sons.
- Kṛṣṇa consciousness allows household life, but householders also follow renunciation by giving up meat-eating, illicit sex, gambling and intoxication. Devotional duty may be misunderstood by family members.
Try this today
Recall one spiritual instruction you find inconvenient, and consider its purpose before criticizing it.
Ask yourself
Do I judge spiritual guidance by its value, or by whether it supports my personal plans?
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.