Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Antya 7.32
The Extraordinary Friendship of the Cowherd Boys
“ ‘Neither those who are engaged in self-realization, appreciating the Brahman effulgence of the Lord, nor those engaged in devotional service while accepting the Supreme Personality of Godhead as master, nor those who are under the clutches of Māyā, thinking the Lord an ordinary person, can understand that certain exalted personalities, after accumulating volumes of pious activities, are now playing with the Lord in friendship as cowherd boys.’
What the purport teaches
- Certain exalted personalities, after accumulating volumes of pious activities, play with the Lord in friendship as cowherd boys.
- Those appreciating the Lord’s Brahman effulgence and those serving Him as master cannot understand this friendship.
- Those under the clutches of Māyā, who think the Lord an ordinary person, also cannot understand it.
Try this today
Pause over the phrase “playing with the Lord in friendship” and write one reason this friendship is extraordinary.
Ask yourself
How does this verse help you appreciate the cowherd boys’ friendship without treating the Lord as ordinary?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport; the practice and question are plain words for trying the verse today.