Study a Verse

• A mouse was very much harassed by a cat, and therefore the mouse approached a saintly person to request to become a cat.
• When the mouse became a cat, he was harassed by a dog, and then when he became a dog, he was harassed by a tiger.
• Then the saintly person cursed him, saying, “May you again become a mouse.”

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

Worry and play → Parental tenderness. The Supreme becomes the beloved child of His devotees.

Chapters 5–11 of Canto 10: Gokula, Yaśodā and the infant Lord. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 10: The Deliverance of the Yamala-arjuna Trees

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

For such bewildered persons ( ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā), who especially deride devotees, the proper punishment is to be again stricken with poverty. The Vedic rules and regulations prescribe how to control the false sense of prestige by the practice of yama, niyama and so on ( tapasā brahmacaryeṇa śamena ca damena ca).