Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.82.38
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesSaintly Care Knows No Outsiders
“Before these two boys had ever seen Their real parents, you acted as Their parents and gave Them all affectionate care, training, nourishment and protection. They were never afraid, good lady, because you protected Them just as eyelids protect the eyes. Indeed, saintly persons like you never discriminate between outsiders and their own kin.”
What the purport teaches
- Nanda and Yaśodā gave Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma affectionate care, training, nourishment and protection. They guarded Them as eyelids protect the eyes, so the boys were never afraid.
- Saintly persons do not discriminate between outsiders and their own kin. Nanda and Yaśodā’s parental care expresses this quality.
- The purport explains that Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma are never actually born and therefore have no parents. Yet They and Yaśodā were so bound by affection that Devakī’s words could not interrupt their absorption.
Try this today
Offer one small act of practical care to someone outside your family today.
Ask yourself
Where can I show care without treating someone as an outsider?
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.