Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.31.2
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesFreely Offered Devotion
“O Lord of love, in beauty Your glance excels the whorl of the finest, most perfectly formed lotus within the autumn pond. O bestower of benedictions, You are killing the maidservants who have given themselves to You freely, without any price. Isn’t this murder?”
What the purport teaches
- The autumn lotus has a special beauty, yet Kṛṣṇa’s glance surpasses even its finest loveliness.
- The gopīs describe themselves as maidservants who have given themselves to Him freely, without any price.
- Calling Him the bestower of benedictions, they ask whether His treatment of them is not killing them. Their appeal expresses the intensity of their longing.
Try this today
Offer one small act of service to Kṛṣṇa today without asking for anything in return.
Ask yourself
What can I learn from the gopīs’ offering of themselves without asking a price?
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.