Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.47.19
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesDistress Speaks Through a Hunter Comparison
“Faithfully taking His deceitful words as true, we became just like the black deer’s foolish wives, who trust the cruel hunter’s song. Thus we repeatedly felt the sharp pain of lust caused by the touch of His nails. O messenger, please talk about something besides Kṛṣṇa.”
What the purport teaches
- Rādhārāṇī compares the gopīs’ trust in Kṛṣṇa’s words to does trusting a hunter’s song. The comparison expresses Her sense of having been deceived.
- She recalls the sharp pain of desire caused by the touch of His nails. In distress, She asks the messenger to speak about something besides Kṛṣṇa.
- The purport calls this ājalpa. Such speech describes the beloved as deceitful and a source of misery, while implying that He gives happiness to others.
Try this today
Reread the verse alongside the definition of ājalpa, noting how the definition clarifies Her emotional speech.
Ask yourself
How does the comparison with trusting does express Rādhārāṇī’s distress?
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.