Chapter 27 · Class prep
A printable handout for teaching this chapter. For each verse with Personal Guidance, you'll see Prabhupāda's translation, the essence, two or three practical applications, and a discussion prompt. Press ⌘P / Ctrl P to print as a handout.
BG 27.1
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: After Kṛṣṇa had lifted Govardhana Hill and thus protected the inhabitants of Vraja from the terrible rainfall, Surabhi, the mother of the cows, came from her planet to see Kṛṣṇa. She was accompanied by Indra.
Essence. Surabhi, mother of cows, comes from Goloka joyfully to see Kṛṣṇa; Indra, ashamed and fearful, comes with her. After the storm, two visitors arrive — one in love, one in shame. The Lord receives both with composure.
BG 27.2
Indra was very ashamed of having offended the Lord. Approaching Him in a solitary place, Indra fell down and lay his helmet, whose effulgence was as brilliant as the sun, upon the Lord’s lotus feet.
Essence. Indra meets Kṛṣṇa in a solitary place at Govardhana's base and lays his sun-bright helmet on the Lord's feet. The Lord arranges privacy for the humbling; mercy avoids unnecessary humiliation.
BG 27.3
Indra had now heard of and seen the transcendental power of omnipotent Kṛṣṇa, and his false pride in being the lord of the three worlds was thus defeated. Holding his hands together in supplication, he addressed the Lord as follows.
Essence. Having heard and seen Kṛṣṇa's transcendental power, Indra's false pride collapses; he addresses the Lord with joined palms. Direct evidence of power dissolves pride faster than any argument.
BG 27.4
King Indra said: Your transcendental form, a manifestation of pure goodness, is undisturbed by change, shining with knowledge and devoid of passion and ignorance. In You does not exist the mighty flow of the modes of material nature, which is based on illusion and ignorance.
Essence. 'Your form is pure goodness, undisturbed, knowledge-shining, without passion or ignorance. The flow of nature's modes, based on illusion, does not exist in You.' Right theology after surrender — finally seen, finally named.
BG 27.5
How, then, could there exist in You the symptoms of an ignorant person — such as greed, lust, anger and envy — which are produced by one’s previous involvement in material existence and which cause one to become further entangled in material existence? And yet as the Supreme Lord You impose punishment to protect religious principles and curb down the wicked.
Essence. 'How could greed, lust, anger, envy — symptoms of ignorance — exist in You? Yet You impose punishment to protect dharma.' His punishments are not from passion but from righteous order.
BG 27.6
You are the father and spiritual master of this entire universe, and also its supreme controller. You are insurmountable time, imposing punishment upon the sinful for their own benefit. Indeed, in Your various incarnations, selected by Your own free will, You act decisively to remove the false pride of those who presume themselves masters of this world.
Essence. 'You are the father, spiritual master, and supreme controller of the universe — insurmountable time, punishing the sinful for their own benefit, removing the pride of presumed masters.' Indra speaks the lesson he himself just learned.
BG 27.7
Even fools like me, who proudly think themselves universal lords, quickly give up their conceit and directly take to the path of the spiritually progressive when they see You are fearless even in the face of time. Thus You punish the mischievous only to instruct them.
Essence. 'Fools like me give up conceit when they see You fearless before time. You punish only to instruct.' The Lord's calm before destruction is itself the teaching — confidence draws others into surrender.
BG 27.8
Engrossed in pride over my ruling power, ignorant of Your majesty, I offended You. O Lord, may You forgive me. My intelligence was bewildered, but let my consciousness never again be so impure.
Essence. 'Engrossed in ruling-power, ignorant of Your majesty, I offended You. Forgive me. May my consciousness never again be so impure.' Real confession names both the act and the lasting prayer of preventive grace.
BG 27.9
You descend into this world, O transcendent Lord, to destroy the warlords who burden the earth and create many terrible disturbances. O Lord, you simultaneously act for the welfare of those who faithfully serve Your lotus feet.
Essence. 'You descend to destroy warlords burdening earth and to act for the welfare of those who serve Your feet.' Two simultaneous purposes — abhava and bhava. The same descent dismantles harm and builds devotee-life.
BG 27.10
Obeisances unto You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the great Soul, who are all-pervading and who reside in the hearts of all. My obeisances unto You, Kṛṣṇa, the chief of the Yadu dynasty.
Essence. 'Obeisances to You, the great Soul who pervades and resides in all hearts. Obeisances to Kṛṣṇa, chief of the Yadu dynasty.' Universal address combines with intimate naming — He is both everywhere and personal.
BG 27.11
Unto Him who assumes transcendental bodies according to the desires of His devotees, unto Him whose form is itself pure consciousness, unto Him who is everything, who is the seed of everything and who is the Soul of all creatures, I offer my obeisances.
Essence. 'Unto Him who assumes forms according to devotees' desires, whose form is pure consciousness, who is everything, seed of everything, Soul of all — obeisances.' The Lord reciprocates personal desires; impersonalism cannot.
BG 27.12
My dear Lord, when my sacrifice was disrupted I became fiercely angry because of false pride. Thus I tried to destroy Your cowherd community with severe rain and wind.
Essence. 'When my sacrifice was disrupted, I became fiercely angry from false pride and tried to destroy Your cowherd community.' Naming the exact offense, the exact emotion, the exact target — confession's full grammar.
BG 27.13
O Lord, You have shown mercy to me by shattering my false pride and defeating my attempt [to punish Vṛndāvana]. To You, the Supreme Lord, spiritual master and Supreme Soul, I have now come for shelter.
Essence. 'You shattered my false pride and defeated my attempt — by mercy. I now come to You for shelter as supreme Lord, master, Supreme Soul.' The breaking is recognized as kindness; surrender follows naturally.
BG 27.14
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Thus glorified by Indra, Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, smiled and then spoke to him as follows in a voice resonant like the clouds.
Essence. Kṛṣṇa smiles and speaks to Indra in a voice resonant as clouds. The small-boy form holds the Supreme voice — the form is humble, the voice is full.
BG 27.15
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Indra, it was out of mercy that I stopped the sacrifice meant for you. You were greatly intoxicated by your opulence as King of heaven, and I wanted you to always remember Me.
Essence. 'It was out of mercy I stopped your sacrifice. You were intoxicated with opulence; I wanted you to always remember Me.' The disruption was love, not anger; even crisis was a memory device.
BG 27.16
A man blinded by intoxication with his power and opulence cannot see Me nearby with the rod of punishment in My hand. If I desire his real welfare, I drag him down from his materially fortunate position.
Essence. 'A man blinded by power and opulence cannot see Me near with the punishing rod. If I desire his real welfare, I drag him from his fortunate position.' True welfare may include losing the very prosperity that blinded.
BG 27.17
Indra, you may now go. Execute My order and remain in your appointed position as King of heaven. But be sober, without false pride.
Essence. 'Go, execute My order, remain King of heaven. Be sober, without false pride.' The Lord doesn't strip Indra's office; He returns him to it humbler. Role can survive correction if pride is replaced.
BG 27.18
Mother Surabhi, along with her progeny, the cows, then offered her obeisances to Lord Kṛṣṇa. Respectfully requesting His attention, the gentle lady addressed the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who was present before her as a cowherd boy.
Essence. Surabhi, with her cow-progeny, offers obeisances and respectfully addresses the cowherd boy. Even the heavenly cow recognizes Kṛṣṇa as the cosmic master through His simplest form.
BG 27.19
Mother Surabhi said: O Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, greatest of mystics! O Soul and origin of the universe! You are the master of the world, and by Your grace, O infallible Lord, we have You as our master.
Essence. 'O Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, greatest of mystics! Soul of the universe! By Your grace we have You as our master.' Repetition of the name is itself the ecstatic acknowledgment of a new relationship being claimed.
BG 27.20
You are our worshipable Deity. Therefore, O Lord of the universe, for the benefit of the cows, the brāhmaṇas, the demigods and all other saintly persons, please become our Indra.
Essence. 'Become our Indra — for the benefit of cows, brāhmaṇas, demigods, and saints.' Surabhi requests that the Lord directly take the role His delegate abused. Sometimes the proper response to a corrupt office is to ask the Lord to fill it.
BG 27.21
As ordered by Lord Brahmā, we shall perform Your bathing ceremony to coronate You as Indra. O Soul of the universe, You descend to this world to relieve the burden of the earth.
Essence. 'As Brahmā ordered, we shall perform Your bathing ceremony to coronate You as Indra. You descend to relieve earth's burden.' Authorized by higher authority, Surabhi crowns Kṛṣṇa directly.
BG 27.22-23
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Having thus appealed to Lord Kṛṣṇa, mother Surabhi performed His bathing ceremony with her own milk, and Indra, ordered by Aditi and other mothers of the demigods, anointed the Lord with heavenly Gaṅgā water from the trunk of Indra’s elephant carrier, Airāvata. Thus, in the company of the demigods and great sages, Indra coronated Lord Kṛṣṇa, the descendant of Daśārha, and gave Him the name Govinda.
Essence. Surabhi bathes Kṛṣṇa with her milk; Indra anoints Him with Gaṅgā-water from Airāvata's trunk; Indra coronates Him as Govinda. The offender, now serving, becomes part of the ceremony of the One he offended.
BG 27.24
Tumburu, Nārada and other Gandharvas, along with the Vidyādharas, Siddhas and Cāraṇas, came there to sing the glories of Lord Hari, which purify the entire world. And the wives of the demigods, filled with joy, danced together in the Lord’s honor.
Essence. Tumburu, Nārada, Gandharvas, Vidyādharas, Siddhas, Cāraṇas sing world-purifying glories; demigod wives dance with joy. The Lord's coronation produces a multi-realm festival; everyone has a role.
BG 27.25
The most eminent demigods chanted the praises of the Lord and scattered wonderful showers of flowers all around Him. All three worlds felt supreme satisfaction, and the cows drenched the surface of the earth with their milk.
Essence. Top demigods chant praises and rain wonderful flowers; three worlds feel supreme satisfaction; cows drench the earth with milk. The Lord's coronation reverberates through cosmic and bovine alike.
BG 27.26
Rivers flowed with various kinds of tasty liquids, trees exuded honey, edible plants came to maturity without cultivation, and hills gave forth jewels formerly hidden in their interiors.
Essence. Rivers flow with tasty liquids, trees exude honey, edible plants ripen uncultivated, hills release jewels. The Lord's coronation reshapes the very economics of the land.
BG 27.27
O Parīkṣit, beloved of the Kuru dynasty, upon the ceremonial bathing of Lord Kṛṣṇa, all living creatures, even those cruel by nature, became entirely free of enmity.
Essence. Even cruel creatures become free of enmity at His bathing. Cynicism mocks such descriptions, but they are historical — devotional worship really does shift even the meanest natures.
BG 27.28
After he had ceremonially bathed Lord Govinda, who is the master of the cows and the cowherd community, King Indra took the Lord’s permission and, surrounded by the demigods and other higher beings, returned to his heavenly abode.
Essence. After bathing Govinda, Indra takes His permission and returns to his heavenly abode surrounded by other higher beings. The offender, once corrected and re-positioned, leaves with reverence and structure intact.