Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.35.6-7
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesThe Rivers Tremble With Love
“My dear gopī, sometimes Mukunda imitates the appearance of a wrestler by decorating Himself with leaves, peacock feathers and colored minerals. Then, in the company of Balarāma and the cowherd boys, He plays His flute to call the cows. At that time the rivers stop flowing, their water stunned by the ecstasy they feel as they eagerly wait for the wind to bring them the dust of His lotus feet. But like us, the rivers are not very pious, and thus they merely wait with their arms trembling out of love.”
What the purport teaches
- Decorated with leaves, peacock feathers and colored minerals, Mukunda plays His flute to call the cows in the company of Balarāma and the cowherd boys.
- The gopīs say that His flute makes even inanimate rivers conscious and stunned in ecstasy. The rivers long for the wind to bring dust from His lotus feet.
- Like the gopīs, the rivers cannot reach Kṛṣṇa’s physical association. Their movement is checked by ecstasy, and their waves, described as arms, tremble with love of Godhead.
Try this today
Spend a minute remembering Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet and the rivers’ longing for their dust.
Ask yourself
How does the rivers’ longing help you reflect on remembering Kṛṣṇa when you feel distant from Him?
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.