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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 1 · Creation · 19 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.

Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›

Canto 1 · Chapter 8: Prayers by Queen Kuntī and Parīkṣit Saved

1.8.30 1.8.32

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.8.31

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Queen Kuntīsince 1.8.18inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

गोप्याददे त्वयि कृतागसि दाम तावद्

या ते दशाश्रुकलिलाञ्जनसम्भ्रमाक्षम् ।

वक्त्रं निनीय भयभावनया स्थितस्य

सा मां विमोहयति भीरपि यद्ब‍िभेति ॥ ३१ ॥

gopy ādade tvayi kṛtāgasi dāma tāvad

yā te daśāśru-kalilāñjana-sambhramākṣam

vaktraṁ ninīya bhaya-bhāvanayā sthitasya

sā māṁ vimohayati bhīr api yad bibheti

Translation

My dear Kṛṣṇa, Yaśodā took up a rope to bind You when You committed an offense, and Your perturbed eyes overflooded with tears, which washed the mascara from Your eyes. And You were afraid, though fear personified is afraid of You. This sight is bewildering to me.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Pure Love Controls the All-Powerful Lord

1
Kṛṣṇa remains Supreme in every circumstance, yet He becomes a plaything before His pure devotee. He especially relishes service offered spontaneously out of pure affection.
2
Mother Yaśodā regarded Kṛṣṇa simply as her beloved child. The Lord made her forget His supreme position so their exchange of maternal love could unfold naturally.
3
Even fear personified fears Kṛṣṇa, yet He wept in fear before Yaśodā’s rope. Remembering this scene, Kuntī praised the extraordinary love that could control the all-powerful Lord.

Key points from the purport

Mother Yaśodā got the Lord as her child, and the Lord made her forget altogether that her child was the Lord Himself.
If mother Yaśodā had been conscious of the exalted position of the Lord, she would certainly have hesitated to punish the Lord.
Indirectly mother Yaśodā is praised for her unique position of love, for she could control even the all-powerful Lord as her beloved child.

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

Connected verses· 1

Quoted in the purport ofSB 10.9.9

This was mentioned by Queen Kuntī in her prayers: bhaya-bhāvanayā sthitasya.

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

How it feels

Grief → Trust. Violence and bereavement make Kṛṣṇa's protective presence precious.

Chapters 7–9 of Canto 1: Postwar anguish, Kuntī and Bhīṣma. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 8: Prayers by Queen Kuntī and Parīkṣit Saved

Kṛṣṇa protects Parīkṣit, Kuntī prays for undivided attraction to Him, and Yudhiṣṭhira grieves.

Back to this verse in chapter 1.8

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

gopīthe cowherd lady (Yaśodā)
ādadetook up
tvayion Your
kṛtāgasicreating disturbances (by breaking the butter pot)
dāmarope
tāvatat that time
yāthat which
teYour

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

Īśānukathā · The science of God
Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10
Abhaya · Fearlessness
Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 1.8
In this verse: “fear”, “afraid”
Vātsalya · Parental affection
Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 1.8
In this verse: “yaśodā”, “mother”, “child”
Dainya · Humility
Ego yields to insight, service and surrender. · Theme in SB 1.8
In this verse: “offense”

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does Yaśodā’s loving relationship with Kṛṣṇa teach me about the value of affection in devotional service?

Practice

Spend a minute remembering Kṛṣṇa’s tearful eyes before Yaśodā, then offer Him a simple, heartfelt prayer.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

His recorded lectures on this verse, and the talks where he quotes it.

2 lectures given on it. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Live this todayPure Love Controls the All-Powerful LordThis verse's lesson: one practice and one question for today

Study points are short summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport on Vedabase.

Ask the BhāgavatamHave a question about SB 1.8.31? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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