Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.31.15
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesSeparation Makes a Moment Seem Endless
“When You go off to the forest during the day, a tiny fraction of a second becomes like a millennium for us because we cannot see You. And even when we can eagerly look upon Your beautiful face, so lovely with its adornment of curly locks, our pleasure is hindered by our eyelids, which were fashioned by the foolish creator.”
What the purport teaches
- When Kṛṣṇa goes to the forest, the gopīs cannot see Him. A tiny fraction of a second then seems like a millennium.
- When He is present, they eagerly gaze upon His beautiful face, adorned with curly locks.
- Even their eyelids interrupt the pleasure of seeing Him. They call the creator foolish for making this obstacle.
Try this today
Read this verse once without distraction, attending to the gopīs’ longing for Kṛṣṇa.
Ask yourself
What does the gopīs’ impatience with blinking reveal about their longing to see Kṛṣṇa?
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.