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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 · Text 10.11.45

Who is speaking and story frame

तौ वत्सपालकौ भूत्वा सर्वलोकैकपालकौ ।

सप्रातराशौ गोवत्सांश्चारयन्तौ विचेरतु: ॥ ४५ ॥

tau vatsa-pālakau bhūtvā

sarva-lokaika-pālakau

saprātar-āśau go-vatsāṁś

cārayantau viceratuḥ

Translation

After the killing of the demon, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma finished Their breakfast in the morning, and while continuing to take care of the calves, They wandered here and there. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, the Supreme Personalities of Godhead, who maintain the entire creation, now took charge of the calves as if cowherd boys.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Maintainers of Creation Tend Calves

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma maintain the entire creation, yet They took charge of calves as if ordinary cowherd boys.

  2. 2

    After killing the demon, They finished Their morning breakfast and continued tending the calves.

  3. 3

    Killing demons did not hamper Kṛṣṇa's daily affairs. Even serious incidents on the bank of the Yamunā appeared to be His routine work.

Key points from the purport
  • Kṛṣṇa’s daily business here in this material world was to kill the duṣkṛtīs.
  • This did not hamper His daily affairs, for it was routine work.
  • While He tended the calves on the bank of the river Yamunā, two or three incidents took place every day, and although these were serious, killing the demons one after another appeared to be His daily routine work.

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:

In Vṛndāvana, both Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, after finishing Their childhood pastimes, began to take charge of the calves and send them to the pasturing grounds ( go-caraṇa). During this time, a demon named Vatsāsura entered among the calves and was killed, and another asura, in the shape of a big duck, was also killed.
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. tauKṛṣṇa and Balarāma
  2. vatsa-pālakauas if taking care of the calves
  3. bhūtvāso becoming
  4. sarva-loka-eka-pālakaualthough They are the maintainers of all living beings throughout the whole universe
  5. sa-prātaḥ-āśaufinishing breakfast in the morning
  6. go-vatsānall the calves
  7. cārayantautending
  8. viceratuḥwandered here and there
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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”

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

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does knowing that Kṛṣṇa maintains creation change your view of His tending calves?

Practice

Spend a minute remembering Kṛṣṇa tending calves while also maintaining the entire creation.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Maintainers of Creation Tend CalvesThis 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 10.11.45? Get an answer from the verses themselves.