Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.52.43
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesSpiritual Dedication Seeks Kṛṣṇa’s Mercy
“O lotus-eyed one, great souls like Lord Śiva hanker to bathe in the dust of Your lotus feet and thereby destroy their ignorance. If I cannot obtain Your mercy, I shall simply give up my vital force, which will have become weak from the severe penances I will perform. Then, after hundreds of lifetimes of endeavor, I may obtain Your mercy.”
What the purport teaches
- Great souls like Lord Śiva long to bathe in the dust of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet to destroy their ignorance. Their longing points to Kṛṣṇa’s supreme position.
- Rukmiṇī seeks Kṛṣṇa’s mercy with extraordinary determination, expressing willingness to endeavor for hundreds of lifetimes.
- The purport explains that her dedication is possible only on the spiritual platform. It does not belong to the fragile world of mundane affection.
Try this today
Offer a brief prayer to Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, asking for His mercy and steadiness in devotional service.
Ask yourself
How does Rukmiṇī’s dedication encourage me to seek Kṛṣṇa’s mercy patiently?
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.