Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.8.31
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesThe All-Attractive Lord Is Always Pure
“When Kṛṣṇa is caught in His naughty activities, the master of the house will say to Him, ‘Oh, You are a thief,’ and artificially express anger at Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa will then reply, ‘I am not a thief. You are a thief.’ Sometimes, being angry, Kṛṣṇa passes urine and stool in a neat, clean place in our houses. But now, our dear friend Yaśodā, this expert thief is sitting before you like a very good boy.” Sometimes all the gopīs would look at Kṛṣṇa sitting there, His eyes fearful so that His mother would not chastise Him, and when they saw Kṛṣṇa’s beautiful face, instead of chastising Him they would simply look upon His face and enjoy transcendental bliss. Mother Yaśodā would mildly smile at all this fun, and she would not want to chastise her blessed transcendental child.
What the purport teaches
- Kṛṣṇa is always pure and is the Supreme Absolute Truth. His apparently improper activities do not make Him subject to material impurity.
- Kṛṣṇa means “all-attractive.” His attractiveness is the basis of transcendental loving exchanges and service, not a reason to judge Him as an ordinary person.
- Seeing His beautiful face, the mothers smiled instead of chastising Him. Kṛṣṇa enjoyed their happiness and is called Gopī-jana-vallabha because He devised activities to please the gopīs.
Try this today
Spend one minute reflecting on the meaning “all-attractive,” and express a simple wish to serve Kṛṣṇa with affection.
Ask yourself
How does remembering Kṛṣṇa’s purity help you approach these pastimes with a desire for loving service?
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.