Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 7.15.38-39
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyLive Your Spiritual Commitments Honestly
“It is abominable for a person living in the gṛhastha-āśrama to give up the regulative principles, for a brahmacārī not to follow the brahmacārī vows while living under the care of the guru, for a vānaprastha to live in the village and engage in so-called social activities, or for a sannyāsī to be addicted to sense gratification. One who acts in this way is to be considered the lowest renegade. Such a pretender is bewildered by the external energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and one should either reject him from any position, or taking compassion upon him, teach him, if possible, to resume his original position.”
What the purport teaches
- Each spiritual order has duties: householders follow regulative principles, brahmacārīs keep their vows under the guru, vānaprasthas practice austerity, and sannyāsīs avoid sense gratification.
- Claiming a spiritual position while abandoning its duties is imitation and cheating. Such a pretender is bewildered by the external energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- One should show compassion and, if sufficiently capable, teach such persons to return to their proper duties. Otherwise, one should reject their pretended standing and pay them no attention.
Try this today
Choose one duty connected with your present spiritual commitments and fulfill it carefully today.
Ask yourself
Do my daily actions match the spiritual commitments I profess?
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.