Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.39.19
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesThe Gopīs Lament Separation
“The gopīs said: O Providence, you have no mercy! You bring embodied creatures together in friendship and love and then senselessly separate them before they fulfill their desires. This whimsical play of yours is like a child’s game.”
What the purport teaches
- In their distress, the gopīs addressed Providence as having no mercy.
- They lamented that Providence brings embodied creatures together in friendship and love, then separates them before their desires are fulfilled.
- They compared this seemingly senseless separation to a child's whimsical game. Their words express the pain of losing Kṛṣṇa's company.
Try this today
Reread the gopīs' lament, keeping their longing for Kṛṣṇa in mind.
Ask yourself
How can I read these strong words as an expression of the gopīs' pain?
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.