Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 9.8.11
Ūti· What drives us to actDisrespect Brings Destruction from Within
“By the influence of Indra, the King of heaven, the sons of Sagara had lost their intelligence and disrespected a great personality. Consequently, fire emanated from their own bodies, and they were immediately burned to ashes.”
What the purport teaches
- By Indra’s influence, Sagara’s sons lost their intelligence and disrespected a great personality.
- The material body is a combination of earth, water, fire, air and ether. Fire is already present within the body, and its heat can increase or decrease.
- Their misbehavior toward a great personality is called mahad-vyatikrama. Because of this insult, the fire within their own bodies became so hot that they burned to ashes.
Try this today
Pause before making a critical remark today, and check whether it expresses needless disrespect.
Ask yourself
How can you become more careful about disrespectful speech toward a great personality?
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.