Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.8.3
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesKṛṣṇa Shows Sympathy to the Grieving
“There sat the King of the Kurus, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, along with his younger brothers and Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Gāndhārī, Kuntī and Draupadī, all overwhelmed with grief. Lord Kṛṣṇa was also there.”
What the purport teaches
- The Battle of Kurukṣetra was fought between family members. Because those who died were related to one another, the family’s grief was shared.
- Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and the other family members sat overwhelmed with grief. Lord Kṛṣṇa was also present as their relative.
- The Lord was equally sympathetic toward all of them. He therefore began to pacify them in a fitting way.
Try this today
Offer a gentle word or a few minutes of attentive listening to someone experiencing sorrow.
Ask yourself
How might Kṛṣṇa’s equal sympathy guide your response to someone who is grieving?
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.