Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.39.27
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesSeparation Makes Everything Seem Against Them
“Hard-hearted Kṛṣṇa has already mounted the chariot, and now the foolish cowherds are hurrying after Him in their bullock carts. Even the elders are saying nothing to stop Him. Today fate is working against us.”
What the purport teaches
- The gopīs see Kṛṣṇa on the chariot, the cowherds hurrying after Him, and the elders doing nothing to stop Him.
- Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī explains their thought: those helping Kṛṣṇa leave will return to Vṛndāvana and surely die in His absence.
- To the grieving gopīs, the whole world has become nonsensical, and fate is working against them.
Try this today
Reread the verse while keeping the gopīs' grief, rather than their accusations alone, in mind.
Ask yourself
How does the purport help you understand the gopīs' strong words as expressions of separation?
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.