Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.10.19
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesKṛṣṇa Remains Absolute in Humanlike Pastimes
“It was being heard here and there that the benedictions being paid to Kṛṣṇa were neither befitting nor unbefitting because they were all for the Absolute, who was now playing the part of a human being.”
What the purport teaches
- The benedictions suited Kṛṣṇa’s role as a human being. Yet they were also unfitting because He is absolute and beyond material conditions.
- Kṛṣṇa is nirguṇa: He has no material qualities, but He is full of transcendental qualities. Apparent contradictions lose their contradiction when applied to the Absolute Person.
- His devotees worship Him even as Mākhana-cora, the butter thief, although an ordinary thief is punished. Despite such apparent contradictions, Kṛṣṇa remains the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Try this today
Reread the translation and remember that Kṛṣṇa’s humanlike role does not make Him an ordinary human being.
Ask yourself
How might judging Kṛṣṇa by ordinary material standards limit your understanding of Him?
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.