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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.
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Canto 10 · Chapter 11: The Childhood Pastimes of Kṛṣṇa
10.11.210.11.4

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.11.3

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

उलूखलं विकर्षन्तं दाम्ना बद्धं च बालकम् ।

कस्येदं कुत आश्चर्यमुत्पात इति कातरा: ॥ ३ ॥

ulūkhalaṁ vikarṣantaṁ

dāmnā baddhaṁ ca bālakam

kasyedaṁ kuta āścaryam

utpāta iti kātarāḥ

Translation

Kṛṣṇa was bound by the rope to the ulūkhala, the mortar, which He was dragging. But how could He have pulled down the trees? Who had actually done it? Where was the source for this incident? Considering all these astounding things, the cowherd men were doubtful and bewildered.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Concern for Kṛṣṇa Brings Bewilderment

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa was bound by a rope to the wooden mortar and was dragging it. The cowherd men wondered how He could have pulled down the trees.

  2. 2

    They were deeply agitated because Kṛṣṇa had been standing between the trees. Had the trees fallen upon Him, He would have been smashed.

  3. 3

    Yet Kṛṣṇa stood unharmed, leaving them astonished and bewildered. They thought that God had saved Him so that nothing had happened to Him.

Key points from the purport
  • The cowherd men were very much agitated because the child Kṛṣṇa, after all, had been standing between the two trees, and if by chance the trees had fallen upon Him, He would have been smashed.
  • But He was standing as He was, and still the things had happened, so who had done all this?
  • They thought, however, that by chance Kṛṣṇa had been saved by God so that nothing had happened to Him.

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:

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. They could find no cause for the trees’ having fallen and Kṛṣṇa’s being there.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.11
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. ulūkhalamthe wooden mortar
  2. vikarṣantamdragging
  3. dāmnāwith the rope
  4. baddham caand bound by the belly
  5. bālakamKṛṣṇa
  6. kasyaof whom
  7. idamthis
  8. kutaḥwherefrom
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

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 10.11

    In this verse: “saved”

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

What does the men’s agitation reveal about their concern for Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Pause for a minute to reflect on their relief at seeing Kṛṣṇa unharmed.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayConcern for Kṛṣṇa Brings BewildermentThis 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 10.11.3? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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