Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.33.4
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesThe Lord Tastes His Own Sweetness
“As the Supreme Personality of Godhead, You have taken birth from my abdomen. O my Lord, how is that possible for the supreme one, who has in His belly all the cosmic manifestation? The answer is that it is possible, for at the end of the millennium You lie down on a leaf of a banyan tree, and just like a small baby, You lick the toe of Your lotus foot.”
What the purport teaches
- At dissolution, the Lord sometimes appears as a small baby on a banyan leaf, floating on the devastating water. His inconceivable power also makes His appearance within Devahūti’s abdomen possible.
- Great sages and devotees devote all their energy and activities to serving the Lord’s lotus feet. By licking His toe, the Lord tastes the nectar for which His devotees aspire.
- Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa Himself, appearing as a devotee to taste His own transcendental sweetness. This is the sweetness tasted by Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, the greatest of all devotees.
Try this today
Take a quiet minute to remember the Lord as a baby on the banyan leaf, licking His toe.
Ask yourself
What does the devotees’ dedication to the Lord’s lotus feet teach you about the joy of service?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.