Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.47.58
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesPure Love Surpasses High Birth
“[Uddhava sang:] Among all persons on earth, these cowherd women alone have actually perfected their embodied lives, for they have achieved the perfection of unalloyed love for Lord Govinda. Their pure love is hankered after by those who fear material existence, by great sages, and by ourselves as well. For one who has tasted the narrations of the infinite Lord, what is the use of taking birth as a high-class brāhmaṇa, or even as Lord Brahmā himself?”
What the purport teaches
- The cowherd women have perfected their embodied lives through unalloyed love for Lord Govinda.
- Their pure love is desired by those who fear material existence, by great sages and by Uddhava himself.
- Birth through parenthood, sacred-thread initiation and sacrificial initiation cannot compare to pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One who tastes narrations of the infinite Lord has no need to prize exalted birth.
Try this today
Spend five minutes hearing or reading about Kṛṣṇa, with the intention of nurturing devotion rather than gaining recognition.
Ask yourself
Are you placing greater value on spiritual status or on developing pure love for 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.