Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.53.25
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesAnxiety Shapes Rukmiṇī’s Thoughts
“I am extremely unfortunate, for the creator is not favorably disposed toward me, nor is the great Lord Śiva. Or perhaps Śiva’s wife, Devī, who is known as Gaurī, Rudrāṇī, Girijā and Satī, has turned against me.”
What the purport teaches
- Rukmiṇī felt extremely unfortunate and wondered whether the creator, Lord Śiva or Devī was unfavorable toward her.
- Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains how she questioned each possibility. She wondered whether she had neglected Śiva’s worship or offended Gaurīdevī, whom she worshiped daily.
- With realized poetic sensitivity, the ācārya interprets Devī’s various names through Rukmiṇī’s distressed thoughts. These thoughts express her misery, rather than establish that the deities had turned against her.
Try this today
Notice one anxious assumption today and pause to distinguish what you fear from what you actually know.
Ask yourself
When I feel distressed, do I sometimes treat my fears as established facts?
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.