Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.31.9
Nirodha· Winding upKṛṣṇa’s Departure Exceeds the Demigods’ Understanding
“Just as ordinary men cannot ascertain the path of a lightning bolt as it leaves a cloud, the demigods could not trace out the movements of Lord Kṛṣṇa as He returned to His abode.”
What the purport teaches
- Ordinary people cannot trace the path of a lightning bolt as it leaves a cloud. The verse compares this to the demigods’ inability to trace Kṛṣṇa’s return to His abode.
- The purport explains that demigods can see lightning’s sudden movements, although human beings cannot.
- Similarly, the Lord’s intimate associates in the spiritual sky could understand His sudden departure, but the demigods could not.
Try this today
Write one sentence summarizing the lightning comparison and what it teaches about Kṛṣṇa’s departure.
Ask yourself
What does this comparison teach you about the limits of even extraordinary perception?
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.