Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.12.13
Mukti· LiberationFollow Devotion Without Imitating Exalted Love
“All those hundreds of thousands of gopīs, understanding Me to be their most charming lover and ardently desiring Me in that way, were unaware of My actual position. Yet by intimately associating with Me, the gopīs attained Me, the Supreme Absolute Truth.”
What the purport teaches
- The gopīs were so absorbed in conjugal love for Kṛṣṇa that they were unaware of His unlimited potencies as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Through intimate association with Him, they attained the Supreme Absolute Truth.
- They were not interested in liberation that would give them bodily forms like the Lord’s. Having realized their eternal spiritual forms as His servitors, they thought of Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental body rather than their own beauty.
- We cannot imitate the gopīs’ exalted conjugal feelings, but we can follow their example of practical Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They naturally took shelter of Kṛṣṇa and achieved the highest perfection of life.
Try this today
Before one act of devotional service today, pause and consciously seek Kṛṣṇa’s shelter.
Ask yourself
How can I follow the gopīs’ example of taking shelter of Kṛṣṇa without trying to imitate their exalted feelings?
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.