Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.90.21
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesSweet Sounds Awaken Longing for Kṛṣṇa
“O sweet-throated cuckoo, in a voice that could revive the dead you are vibrating the same sounds we once heard from our beloved, the most pleasing of speakers. Please tell me what I can do today to please you.”
What the purport teaches
- The queens hear in the cuckoo’s song the sounds of their beloved Kṛṣṇa, the most pleasing of speakers.
- They describe the cuckoo’s voice as able to revive the dead and ask what they can do to please it.
- Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains that the pleasant song also causes pain. It reminds the queens of Kṛṣṇa and increases their pain of separation.
Try this today
Reread the queens’ offer to please the cuckoo, noticing their response to a reminder of Kṛṣṇa.
Ask yourself
How can the same sound bring both sweetness and the pain of missing someone beloved?
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.