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

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Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

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Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

How to study this verse, in six steps
  1. 1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
  2. 2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
  3. 3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
  4. 4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
  5. 5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
  6. 6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›
Canto 10 · Chapter 11: The Childhood Pastimes of Kṛṣṇa
10.11.110.11.3

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.11.2

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.11.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

भूम्यां निपतितौ तत्र दद‍ृशुर्यमलार्जुनौ ।

बभ्रमुस्तदविज्ञाय लक्ष्यं पतनकारणम् ॥ २ ॥

bhūmyāṁ nipatitau tatra

dadṛśur yamalārjunau

babhramus tad avijñāya

lakṣyaṁ patana-kāraṇam

Translation

There they saw the fallen yamala-arjuna trees on the ground, but they were bewildered because even though they could directly perceive that the trees had fallen, they could not trace out the cause for their having done so.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Seeing the Event, Not Knowing Its Cause

  1. 1

    The cowherd men could directly see the fallen yamala-arjuna trees, but they could not trace the cause.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa was standing on the spot, and His playmates said that He had done it.

  3. 3

    The men wondered whether Kṛṣṇa had actually caused the trees to fall or whether these were merely stories. This left them bewildered.

Key points from the purport
  • Considering all the circumstances, had this been done by Kṛṣṇa?
  • He was standing on the spot, and His playmates described that this had been done by Him.
  • Had Kṛṣṇa actually done this, or were these merely stories?

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

How it feels

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

Further reading

Chapter 11: The Childhood Pastimes of Kṛṣṇa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

When the yamala-arjuna trees fell, they made a tremendous sound, like that of falling thunderbolts. Being surprised, Kṛṣṇa’s father, Nanda, and the other elderly inhabitants of Gokula went to the spot, where they saw the fallen trees and Kṛṣṇa standing between them, bound to the ulūkhala, the wooden mortar.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.11
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. bhūmyāmon the ground
  2. nipatitauwhich had fallen
  3. tatrathere
  4. dadṛśuḥall of them saw
  5. yamala-arjunauthe twin arjuna trees
  6. babhramuḥthey became bewildered
  7. tatthat
  8. avijñāyabut they could not trace out
  9. lakṣyamalthough they could directly perceive that the trees had fallen
  10. patana-kāraṇamthe cause of their falling (how could it have happened all of a sudden?)
3

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

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does this scene show the difference between seeing an event and understanding its cause?

Practice

Write one sentence distinguishing what the cowherd men saw from what they could not understand.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySeeing the Event, Not Knowing Its CauseThis 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 10.11.2? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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