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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
10.11.310.11.5

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.11.4

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

बाला ऊचुरनेनेति तिर्यग्गतमुलूखलम् ।

विकर्षता मध्यगेन पुरुषावप्यचक्ष्महि ॥ ४ ॥

bālā ūcur aneneti

tiryag-gatam ulūkhalam

vikarṣatā madhya-gena

puruṣāv apy acakṣmahi

Translation

Then all the cowherd boys said: It is Kṛṣṇa who has done this. When He was in between the two trees, the mortar fell crosswise. Kṛṣṇa dragged the mortar, and the two trees fell down. After that, two beautiful men came out of the trees. We have seen this with our own eyes.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Boys Describe What They Saw

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa’s playmates wanted to tell His father the exact situation. They clearly said that Kṛṣṇa had brought down the trees.

  2. 2

    They explained that the mortar had fallen crosswise between the trees. When Kṛṣṇa dragged it, both trees fell.

  3. 3

    The boys also reported that two beautiful men had come out of the broken trees. They emphasized that they had seen everything with their own eyes.

Key points from the purport
  • Kṛṣṇa’s playmates wanted to inform Kṛṣṇa’s father of the exact situation by explaining that not only did the trees break, but out of the broken trees came two beautiful men.

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. bālāḥall the other boys
  2. ūcuḥsaid
  3. anenaby Him (Kṛṣṇa)
  4. itithus
  5. tiryakcrosswise
  6. gatamwhich had become
  7. ulūkhalamthe wooden mortar
  8. vikarṣatāby Kṛṣṇa, who was dragging
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

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 10.11

    In this verse: “cowherd boys”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

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

    In this verse: “father”

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

Why is the boys’ statement that they saw everything themselves important here?

Practice

Retell the boys’ account in three short sentences, without adding any details.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Boys Describe What They SawThis 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 10.11.4? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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