Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Madhya 24.249
Unnecessary Pain Brings Pain in Return
“Nārada Muni replied, ‘If you leave the animals half-dead, you are purposefully giving them pain. Therefore you will have to suffer in retaliation.’
What the purport teaches
- Nārada Muni warns that purposefully leaving animals half-dead brings suffering in retaliation. Giving another living entity unnecessary pain brings similar pain under the laws of nature.
- Even though Mṛgāri was uncivilized, he still had to suffer the results of his sinful activities. Education and so-called civilization do not exempt anyone from these laws.
- The purport strongly warns against maintaining slaughterhouses and using machines to kill animals. The resulting suffering extends beyond this life into the next.
Try this today
Today, notice one situation in which you could cause a living being unnecessary pain, and choose not to do so.
Ask yourself
Where might I be overlooking unnecessary pain caused to another living entity?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport; the practice and question are plain words for trying the verse today.