Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.23.4
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesConfidence in the Lord’s Holy Names
“When you go there, My dear cowherd boys, simply request some food. Declare to them the name of My elder brother, the Supreme Lord Balarāma, and also My name, and explain that you have been sent by Us.”
What the purport teaches
- Kṛṣṇa encouraged His boyfriends to request food in charity without embarrassment.
- The boys might have felt they had no right to approach such respectable brāhmaṇas personally.
- Kṛṣṇa told them to mention Balarāma’s name and His own—the holy names of God—and explain that They had sent them.
Try this today
Say the holy names of Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa attentively today.
Ask yourself
How might remembering the Lord help you overcome embarrassment in serving Him?
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.