Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.28.46
Nirodha· Winding upSeparation Brings Deep Anxiety
“While she was serving her husband by massaging his legs, she could feel that his feet were no longer warm and could thus understand that he had already passed from the body. She felt great anxiety upon being left alone. Bereft of her husband’s company, she felt exactly as the deer feels upon being separated from its mate.”
What the purport teaches
- While massaging her husband’s legs, the queen noticed that his feet were no longer warm. She understood that he had passed from the body.
- The purport explains bodily death as the departure of the soul, accompanied by the stopping of blood and air circulation.
- Left without her husband’s company, she felt great anxiety. Her distress is compared to that of a deer separated from its mate.
Try this today
Pause today to reflect on the queen’s loss and acknowledge the depth of her grief.
Ask yourself
What does the queen’s distress help me understand about the pain of separation?
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.