Study a Verse

• A saintly person doesn’t wish to speak to anyone and everyone, and he is therefore grave and silent.
• Therefore the saintly brāhmaṇa did not remain silent, but began to answer.
• One should quote evidence from the śruti — the Vedas or Vedic literature — and then one’s statements will be correct.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Seriousness → Principled living. The example of bhakti becomes a guide to daily life.

Chapters 11–15 of Canto 7: Teachings on social and spiritual conduct. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 13: The Behavior of a Perfect Person

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Although fully learned, he should always remain silent, like a dumb person, and travel like a restless child. In this regard, Nārada Muni described a meeting between Prahlāda and a saintly person who had adopted the mode of life of a python.