Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.8.22
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesTheir Crawling Delights Everyone
“When Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, with the strength of Their legs, crawled in the muddy places created in Vraja by cow dung and cow urine, Their crawling resembled the crawling of serpents, and the sound of Their ankle bells was very charming. Very much pleased by the sound of other people’s ankle bells, They used to follow these people as if going to Their mothers, but when They saw that these were other people, They became afraid and returned to Their real mothers, Yaśodā and Rohiṇī.”
What the purport teaches
- Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma crawled through the muddy places of Vraja, making very sweet sounds with Their ankle bells.
- Enchanted by the sound of others’ ankle bells, They sometimes followed people other than Their mothers. On realizing this, They became afraid and returned to Yaśodā and Rohiṇī.
- The neighbors, the two mothers and the children Themselves all enjoyed these crawling pastimes.
Try this today
Read the translation slowly once, giving your attention to the delight of the mothers and neighbors.
Ask yourself
What detail of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma’s crawling helps you appreciate the joy They gave everyone?
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.