Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.47.13
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesDistress Expressed in Loving Speech
“After making us drink the enchanting nectar of His lips only once, Kṛṣṇa suddenly abandoned us, just as you might quickly abandon some flowers. How is it, then, that Goddess Padmā willingly serves His lotus feet? Alas! The answer must certainly be that her mind has been stolen away by His deceitful words.”
What the purport teaches
- Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī compares Kṛṣṇa to a bumblebee that quickly leaves flowers after tasting their nectar. She speaks in distress over His sudden departure.
- She wonders why the goddess of fortune constantly serves His lotus feet. In Her distress, She suggests that Kṛṣṇa’s promises have captured the goddess’s mind.
- The purport calls this speech parijalpa. It shows the speaker’s cleverness by exposing what She perceives as Her Lord’s mercilessness, duplicity and unreliability.
Try this today
Reread the verse slowly, keeping in mind that these are Rādhārāṇī’s words of distress over separation.
Ask yourself
How does knowing Rādhārāṇī’s distress help me understand Her words about 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.