Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.6.21
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesPurification Before Caring for Kṛṣṇa
“The gopīs first executed the process of ācamana, drinking a sip of water from the right hand. They purified their bodies and hands with the nyāsa-mantra and then applied the same mantra upon the body of the child.”
What the purport teaches
- The gopīs began with ācamana, drinking a little water from the right hand. They purified their bodies and hands with the nyāsa-mantra.
- They first performed the process upon themselves and then upon the child Kṛṣṇa. The purport explains that different viṣṇu-mantras are used to purify the body.
- Householders knew how to become purified by chanting Vedic hymns. The purport laments that this knowledge has been forgotten as people become absorbed in sense gratification.
Try this today
Set aside two minutes today to review the sequence of purification described here, rather than spending those minutes on sense gratification.
Ask yourself
How could remembering purification help you avoid letting daily life become absorbed only in sense gratification?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.