Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.8.47
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesKṛṣṇa’s Childhood Pastimes Purify
“Although Kṛṣṇa was so pleased with Vasudeva and Devakī that He descended as their son, they could not enjoy Kṛṣṇa’s magnanimous childhood pastimes, which are so great that simply chanting about them vanquishes the contamination of the material world. Nanda Mahārāja and Yaśodā, however, enjoyed these pastimes fully, and therefore their position is always better than that of Vasudeva and Devakī.”
What the purport teaches
- Kṛṣṇa took birth from Devakī’s womb but was immediately transferred to Yaśodā’s home. Devakī could not even nurse Him.
- Nanda Mahārāja and Yaśodā enjoyed Kṛṣṇa’s childhood pastimes fully. Their extraordinary fortune astonished Parīkṣit Mahārāja.
- Saintly persons continue to glorify these magnanimous childhood pastimes. Simply chanting about them vanquishes the contamination of the material world.
Try this today
Read this translation aloud today, giving particular attention to the glory of Kṛṣṇa’s childhood pastimes.
Ask yourself
How might remembering the purifying power of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes change the attention you give them?
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.