Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.3.32
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesKṛṣṇa’s Family Pastimes Are Eternal
“The Supreme Personality of Godhead replied: My dear mother, best of the chaste, in your previous birth, in the Svāyambhuva millennium, you were known as Pṛśni, and Vasudeva, who was the most pious Prajāpati, was named Sutapā.”
What the purport teaches
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead explained that Devakī had previously been Pṛśni and Vasudeva had been Sutapā. They had been His mother and father before.
- Kṛṣṇa is eternal and accepts His eternal father and mother from among His devotees. This eternal pastime is called nitya-līlā and rests on pure love, not material dealings.
- We should understand the Lord’s appearance and activities through Vedic authorities, not imagination. One who truly knows their transcendental nature attains His eternal abode rather than taking birth again in this material world.
Try this today
Reread this verse and purport today, noting one teaching about Kṛṣṇa’s eternal relationship with His devotees.
Ask yourself
Am I learning about Kṛṣṇa’s appearance from authoritative teachings rather than my own assumptions?
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.