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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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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Texts 10.11.39-40

Who is speaking and story frame

क्‍वचिद्वादयतो वेणुं क्षेपणै: क्षिपत: क्‍वचित् ।

क्‍वचित्पादै: किङ्किणीभि: क्‍वचित्कृत्रिमगोवृषै: ॥ ३९ ॥

वृषायमाणौ नर्दन्तौ युयुधाते परस्परम् ।

अनुकृत्य रुतैर्जन्तूंश्चेरतु: प्राकृतौ यथा ॥ ४० ॥

kvacid vādayato veṇuṁ

kṣepaṇaiḥ kṣipataḥ kvacit

kvacit pādaiḥ kiṅkiṇībhiḥ

kvacit kṛtrima-go-vṛṣaiḥ

vṛṣāyamāṇau nardantau

yuyudhāte parasparam

anukṛtya rutair jantūṁś

ceratuḥ prākṛtau yathā

Translation

Sometimes Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma would play on Their flutes, sometimes They would throw ropes and stones devised for getting fruits from the trees, sometimes They would throw only stones, and sometimes, Their ankle bells tinkling, They would play football with fruits like bael and āmalakī. Sometimes They would cover Themselves with blankets and imitate cows and bulls and fight with one another, roaring loudly, and sometimes They would imitate the voices of the animals. In this way They enjoyed sporting, exactly like two ordinary human children.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Delight in Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma’s Play

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma played flutes, used ropes and stones to get fruit, and kicked fruits while Their ankle bells tinkled.

  2. 2

    They covered Themselves with blankets to imitate cows and bulls, playfully fighting and roaring. They enjoyed sporting exactly like two ordinary human children.

  3. 3

    The Vṛndāvana forest was full of birds and animals, including peacocks, cuckoos, monkeys, bulls and cows. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma enjoyed imitating their sounds.

Key points from the purport
  • The Vṛndāvana forest is always full of cuckoos, ducks, swans, peacocks, cranes and also monkeys, bulls and cows.
  • So Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma used to imitate the sounds of these animals and enjoy sporting.

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 ofCC Ādi 5.138

This and the following quotation are from the Bhāgavatam (10.11.40 and 10.15.14).

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

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:

The playmates of Kṛṣṇa narrated all these stories to their mothers. The mothers could not believe their children, Kṛṣṇa’s playmates, but because of full affection they enjoyed these narrations of Kṛṣṇa’s activities.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.11
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kvacitsometimes
  2. vādayataḥblowing
  3. veṇumon the flute
  4. kṣepaṇaiḥwith a device of rope for throwing
  5. kṣipataḥthrowing stones to get fruit
  6. kvacitsometimes
  7. kvacit pādaiḥsometimes with the legs
  8. kiṅkiṇībhiḥwith the sound of ankle bells
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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.11

    In this verse: “children”

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

Which detail of Their playful activities helps me give loving attention to Them?

Practice

Choose one activity from this translation and spend a minute remembering it.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDelight in Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma’s PlayThis 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 10.11.39-40? Get an answer from the verses themselves.