Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.45.42-44
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesKṛṣṇa’s Conchshell Frees the Suffering
“Lord Janārdana took the conchshell that had grown around the demon’s body and went back to the chariot. Then He proceeded to Saṁyamanī, the beloved capital of Yamarāja, the lord of death. Upon arriving there with Lord Balarāma, He loudly blew His conchshell, and Yamarāja, who keeps the conditioned souls in check, came as soon as he heard the resounding vibration. Yamarāja elaborately worshiped the two Lords with great devotion, and then he addressed Lord Kṛṣṇa, who lives in everyone’s heart: “O Supreme Lord Viṣṇu, what shall I do for You and Lord Balarāma, who are playing the part of ordinary humans?””
What the purport teaches
- Kṛṣṇa took the conchshell Pāñcajanya and went with Balarāma to Yamarāja’s capital. The purport identifies it as the same conchshell He sounded at the beginning of the Bhagavad-gītā.
- Yamarāja worshiped the two Lords with great devotion and asked how he could serve Them. He recognized Kṛṣṇa, who lives in everyone’s heart, as the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu, though the Lords were playing the part of ordinary humans.
- The Skanda Purāṇa describes how the conchshell’s sound stopped the torments of hell. With their sinful reactions eradicated, all its inhabitants attained liberation and approached the spiritual world.
Try this today
Offer a brief prayer to Kṛṣṇa expressing your wish to engage in devotional service.
Ask yourself
How can Yamarāja’s readiness to serve shape my response to Kṛṣṇa?
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.