Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.53.8-9
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesCareful Preparations Set the Scene
“The king had the main avenues, commercial roads and intersections thoroughly cleaned and then sprinkled with water, and he also had the city decorated with triumphant archways and multicolored banners on poles. The men and women of the city, arrayed in spotless raiment and anointed with fragrant sandalwood paste, wore precious necklaces, flower garlands and jeweled ornaments, and their opulent homes were filled with the aroma of aguru.”
What the purport teaches
- The King had the roads cleaned and sprinkled with water. The purport explains that water settles the dust and makes earthen roads smooth and firm.
- Archways and multicolored banners decorated the city, while its people wore spotless clothing and fine ornaments. Their opulent homes were fragrant with aguru.
- Bhīṣmaka’s thorough wedding preparations set the scene for Lord Kṛṣṇa’s triumphant abduction of beautiful Rukmiṇī-devī.
Try this today
Clean one small area today with the attentiveness shown in these preparations.
Ask yourself
Which details help you appreciate the care taken to prepare the city?
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.