Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.62.27
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesCareful Guards Admit Their Puzzlement
“We have been carefully watching over her, never leaving our posts, O master, so we cannot understand how this maiden, whom no man can even see, has been corrupted within the palace.”
What the purport teaches
- The guards said they had carefully watched over Ūṣā without leaving their posts. They could not understand how this had happened within the palace.
- The ācāryas explain that anapāyibhiḥ can mean either “never going away” or “never deluded.” Both readings emphasize the guards’ claim of vigilance.
- The alternate reading duṣpreṣyāyāḥ refers to Ūṣā as “she whose wicked girlfriend has been sent on a mission.” The purport distinguishes this from the reading about her being unseen by men.
Try this today
Reread the guards’ words and identify separately what they claim to know and what they cannot explain.
Ask yourself
Can I admit that I do not understand something, even when I believe I have been attentive?
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.