Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.22.19
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyRecognize Kṛṣṇa’s Transcendental Position
“[Lord Kṛṣṇa said:] You girls bathed naked while executing your vow, and that is certainly an offense against the demigods. To counteract your sin you should offer obeisances while placing your joined palms above your heads. Then you should take back your lower garments.”
What the purport teaches
- Kṛṣṇa told the gopīs that bathing naked during their vow was an offense against the demigods. He instructed them to offer obeisances with joined palms above their heads.
- He wanted to see their full surrender. As the Supreme Absolute Truth, He was acting to fulfill their loving desire.
- The purport warns against viewing Kṛṣṇa as an ordinary lusty boy. To regard Him as materially conditioned like ourselves prevents us from understanding His transcendental position.
Try this today
Before rereading this verse, recall the purport’s distinction between Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental actions and ordinary material desire.
Ask yourself
How does remembering that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Absolute Truth change my reading of this passage?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.