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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 10.13.11

Who is speaking and story frame

बिभ्रद् वेणुं जठरपटयो: श‍ृङ्गवेत्रे च कक्षे

वामे पाणौ मसृणकवलं तत्फलान्यङ्गुलीषु ।

तिष्ठन् मध्ये स्वपरिसुहृदो हासयन् नर्मभि: स्वै:

स्वर्गे लोके मिषति बुभुजे यज्ञभुग् बालकेलि: ॥ ११ ॥

bibhrad veṇuṁ jaṭhara-paṭayoḥ śṛṅga-vetre ca kakṣe

vāme pāṇau masṛṇa-kavalaṁ tat-phalāny aṅgulīṣu

tiṣṭhan madhye sva-parisuhṛdo hāsayan narmabhiḥ svaiḥ

svarge loke miṣati bubhuje yajña-bhug bāla-keliḥ

Translation

Kṛṣṇa is yajña-bhuk — that is, He eats only offerings of yajña — but to exhibit His childhood pastimes, He now sat with His flute tucked between His waist and His tight cloth on His right side and with His horn bugle and cow-driving stick on His left. Holding in His hand a very nice preparation of yogurt and rice, with pieces of suitable fruit between His fingers, He sat like the whorl of a lotus flower, looking forward toward all His friends, personally joking with them and creating jubilant laughter among them as He ate. At that time, the denizens of heaven were watching, struck with wonder at how the Personality of Godhead, who eats only in yajña, was now eating with His friends in the forest.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Supreme Lord Enjoys With His Friends

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, accepts offerings of yajña. Yet He sat in the forest eating yogurt, rice and fruit with His friends like an ordinary child.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa joked about a bumblebee disturbing His brāhmaṇa friend Madhumaṅgala. The boys laughed and enjoyed these joking words while eating.

  3. 3

    The inhabitants of the higher planets watched in astonishment. The Lord who eats offerings of yajña was enjoying such intimate friendship.

Key points from the purport
  • When Kṛṣṇa was eating with His cowherd boyfriends, a certain bumblebee came there to take part in the eating.
  • Thus Kṛṣṇa joked, “Why have you come to disturb My brāhmaṇa friend Madhumaṅgala?
  • Thus the inhabitants of the higher planets were astonished at how the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who eats only when yajña is offered, was now eating like an ordinary child with His friends in the forest.

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

Peril and pride → Friendship and humility. Divinity is revealed amid intimate childhood play.

Chapters 12–19 of Canto 10: Childhood dangers and Brahmā's amazement. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 13: The Stealing of the Boys and Calves by Brahmā

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

After killing Aghāsura, Kṛṣṇa, along with His associates the cowherd boys, went for a picnic within the forest. The calves, being allured by green grasses, gradually went far away, and therefore Kṛṣṇa’s associates became a little agitated and wanted to bring back the calves.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.13
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. bibhrat veṇumkeeping the flute
  2. jaṭhara-paṭayoḥbetween the tight clothing and the abdomen
  3. śṛṅga-vetreboth the horn bugle and the cow-driving stick
  4. caalso
  5. kakṣeon the waist
  6. vāmeon the left-hand side
  7. pāṇautaking in hand
  8. masṛṇa-kavalamvery nice food prepared with rice and first-class curd
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 10.13

    In this verse: “childhood”, “child”

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 10.13

    In this verse: “friends”

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 strikes you about the Supreme Personality of Godhead laughing and eating with His friends?

Practice

Spend a minute remembering Kṛṣṇa sitting among His friends and making them laugh.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Supreme Lord Enjoys With His FriendsThis 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 10.13.11? Get an answer from the verses themselves.