Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.30.9
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesSeeking Help from Those Who Serve Others
“O cūta, O priyāla, O panasa, āsana and kovidāra, O jambu, O arka, O bilva, bakula and āmra, O kadamba and nīpa and all you other plants and trees living by the banks of the Yamunā who have dedicated your very existence to the welfare of others, we gopīs have lost our minds, so please tell us where Kṛṣṇa has gone.”
What the purport teaches
- The gopīs addressed the plants and trees by the Yamunā as beings whose very existence was dedicated to the welfare of others.
- Overwhelmed by separation, they pleaded with them to reveal where Kṛṣṇa had gone.
- Their desperation was evident in their approaching even the insignificant arka plant. The purport also distinguishes the cūta, a mango creeper, from the āmra, a mango tree.
Try this today
Do one small helpful task for someone today, remembering the trees praised for serving others.
Ask yourself
How can the trees’ dedication to others’ welfare inspire your own service?
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.