Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.46.5
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesKṛṣṇa Is Dearer Than Our Own Self
“My dear Uddhava, for those women of Gokula I am the most cherished object of love. Thus when they remember Me, who am so far away, they are overwhelmed by the anxiety of separation.”
What the purport teaches
- Things become dear to us through their favorable relationship with our self, and we try to possess them.
- Among countless dear things, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the dearest of all—even dearer than one’s own self. The gopīs had realized this truth.
- Their intense love left them overwhelmed by separation from Him. The Lord’s transcendental potency kept them alive.
Try this today
List three things dear to you, then reflect briefly on the teaching that Kṛṣṇa is dearer still.
Ask yourself
What would it mean to understand Kṛṣṇa as dearer than everything else?
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.