Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.33.25
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesKṛṣṇa’s Loving Pastimes Are Transcendental
“Although the gopīs were firmly attached to Lord Kṛṣṇa, whose desires are always fulfilled, the Lord was not internally affected by any mundane sex desire. Still, to perform His pastimes the Lord took advantage of all those moonlit autumn nights, which inspire poetic descriptions of transcendental affairs.”
What the purport teaches
- The gopīs were firmly attached to Kṛṣṇa, whose desires are always fulfilled. Yet He was not internally affected by mundane sex desire.
- Rasa indicates the spiritual bliss arising from a loving relationship with Lord Kṛṣṇa. This bliss is experienced in spiritual pastimes with the Lord and His devotees.
- Kṛṣṇa arranged extraordinary autumn nights to enhance His loving affairs and inspire transcendental poets. His pastimes are unlimited, so their glorification can never be complete and will continue forever.
Try this today
Write one sentence glorifying Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental pastimes, using a detail from this translation.
Ask yourself
How does distinguishing spiritual bliss from mundane desire change your reading of these pastimes?
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.