Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.82.45
Āśraya· The supreme shelterAll-Pervasiveness Does Not Satisfy Pure Love
“Dear ladies, I am the beginning and end of all created beings and exist both within and without them, just as the elements ether, water, earth, air and fire are the beginning and end of all material objects and exist both within and without them.”
What the purport teaches
- Kṛṣṇa is the beginning and end of all created beings and exists within and outside them. He compares this to the presence of the elements in material objects.
- Kṛṣṇa suggests that knowledge of His all-pervasiveness should remove the pain of separation from Him.
- Yet the gopīs had been great masters of yoga and already knew this science. The purport explains that jñāna-yoga causes suffering for those fully immersed in pure love of Godhead.
Try this today
Reflect for a minute on Kṛṣṇa’s presence everywhere, then express your desire for loving service to Him.
Ask yourself
What does the gopīs’ response reveal about the difference between knowing about Kṛṣṇa and loving Him?
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.