Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.90.24
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesLoving Appeals for Kṛṣṇa’s Presence
“Welcome, swan. Please sit here and drink some milk. Give us some news of the descendant of Śūra, dear one. We know you are His messenger. Is that invincible Lord doing well, and does that unreliable friend of ours still remember the words He spoke to us long ago? Why should we go and worship Him? O servant of a petty master, go tell Him who fulfills our desires to come here without the goddess of fortune. Is she the only woman exclusively devoted to Him?”
What the purport teaches
- The queens welcome the swan with a seat and milk, recognizing it as Kṛṣṇa’s messenger. They eagerly ask about His welfare and whether He remembers His loving words.
- In the purport’s conversation, the swan urges them to go to Kṛṣṇa and engage in His devotional service. The queens instead insist that He come to them.
- They ask Him to come without the goddess of fortune, who, they say, keeps Him to herself. When the swan speaks of Lakṣmī’s exclusive devotion, the queens affirm their own complete devotion to Him.
Try this today
Read the swan’s invitation to engage in devotional service, and set aside one minute today for attentive remembrance of Kṛṣṇa.
Ask yourself
How do the queens’ complaints also reveal their complete devotion to Kṛṣṇa?
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.