Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.32.22
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesSpotless Service Beyond Repayment
“I am not able to repay My debt for your spotless service, even within a lifetime of Brahmā. Your connection with Me is beyond reproach. You have worshiped Me, cutting off all domestic ties, which are difficult to break. Therefore please let your own glorious deeds be your compensation.”
What the purport teaches
- Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, declares that He cannot repay the gopīs’ spotless service, even within a lifetime of Brahmā. Their connection with Him is beyond reproach.
- The gopīs worshiped Kṛṣṇa, cutting off domestic ties that are difficult to break. He asks them to let their own glorious deeds be their compensation.
- The gopīs became eternally glorious by their behavior during the Lord’s temporary absence, and their mutual love was wonderfully enhanced. This perfection of Kṛṣṇa and His loving devotees shows the goal of devotional service.
Try this today
Today, offer one small act of devotional service to Kṛṣṇa without asking for anything in return.
Ask yourself
How can the gopīs’ spotless service inspire me to serve Kṛṣṇa without seeking repayment?
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.