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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

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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

10.11.45 10.11.47

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.11.46

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.11.21inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

स्वं स्वं वत्सकुलं सर्वे पाययिष्यन्त एकदा ।

गत्वा जलाशयाभ्याशं पाययित्वा पपुर्जलम् ॥ ४६ ॥

svaṁ svaṁ vatsa-kulaṁ sarve

pāyayiṣyanta ekadā

gatvā jalāśayābhyāśaṁ

pāyayitvā papur jalam

Translation

One day all the boys, including Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, each boy taking his own group of calves, brought the calves to a reservoir of water, desiring to allow them to drink. After the animals drank water, the boys drank water there also.

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This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Boys Give the Calves Water First

1
Each boy took his own group of calves to a reservoir of water. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were among them.
2
They brought the calves there because they wanted the animals to drink.
3
After the calves drank, the boys also drank water. The animals' needs were attended to first.

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

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 summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.11