There is another story — it may be fact — that a boy was raised by his aunt very liberally. Then, gradually, the boy became, in bad association, a thief. And the aunt was encouraging, “Oh, it is a very good business. You are bringing so many things without any labor.” So… Or out of affection he [she] did not chastise the boy when he was stealing. Then he, at the end, became a murderer. So he committed a murder. Then when he was to be hanged, so the government men inquired, “What is your last wish?” “Now, I want to speak with my aunt through the ear.” Then he was allowed. And the aunt was generally crying, that “My nephew is going to be hanged.” She was… So he caught up her ear with the teeth and cut it. So he said, “My dear aunt, if you would have chastised me in the beginning, then today, this position, that you are crying and I am going to be hanged, this would not have happened. But you did not do that. Therefore you are uselessly crying now, and this is your punishment: I cut off your ear with the teeth.” A very good instruction.

So the so-called sneha, if it is not properly done… Nature’s regulation is so strict that you cannot avoid the consequence. That is not possible. These are practical. I have seen another practical. In front of our residence there was another neighbor. So the old man had his daughter-in-law. So she was beating her one child. So I inquired through my servant, “Why this young woman is beating her child?” Now, then the servant brought me the news that this boy gave parata to his elder brother who is suffering from typhoid. The typhoid… In typhoid fever, solid food is forbidden strictly, but the boy did not know. He asked his younger brother that “If you steal one parata and if you give me, I am very much hungry.” So he became very sympathetic to his brother, and he gave the parata. And the boy was ill; he aggravated the illness. So as soon as the mother heard that he gave a parata to him, he [she] began to beat him: “Why did you give?” Now, it was charity, it was affection and sympathetic, but the result was beating with shoes. So if we do not know where charity should be given, then, where affection should be there, then we are under the laws of nature; we shall be punished if it is not properly done. There is punishment.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.47 — October 27, 1974, Mayapur