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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.
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Canto 10 · Chapter 13: The Stealing of the Boys and Calves by Brahmā
10.13.1510.13.17

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.13.16

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.13.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

ततो वत्सानद‍ृष्ट्वैत्य पुलिनेऽपि च वत्सपान् ।

उभावपि वने कृष्णो विचिकाय समन्तत: ॥ १६ ॥

tato vatsān adṛṣṭvaitya

puline ’pi ca vatsapān

ubhāv api vane kṛṣṇo

vicikāya samantataḥ

Translation

Thereafter, when Kṛṣṇa was unable to find the calves, He returned to the bank of the river, but there He was also unable to see the cowherd boys. Thus He began to search for both the calves and the boys, as if He could not understand what had happened.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa’s Search Was a Dramatic Performance

  1. 1

    When Kṛṣṇa returned to the riverbank, the cowherd boys were also missing. He searched for both the boys and the calves.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa could immediately understand that Brahmā had taken them away. Yet He searched like an innocent child, concealing His māyā from Brahmā.

  3. 3

    The purport compares this to a dramatic performance. An actor knows what is happening but plays his part so that others do not understand him.

Key points from the purport
  • Kṛṣṇa could immediately understand that Brahmā had taken away both the calves and the boys, but as an innocent child He searched here and there so that Brahmā could not understand Kṛṣṇa’s māyā.
  • A player knows everything, but still he plays on the stage in such a way that others do not understand him.

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:

When Kṛṣṇa was unable to find the calves and boys, He could understand that this was a trick performed by Brahmā. Then the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the cause of all causes, in order to please Lord Brahmā, as well as His own associates and their mothers, expanded Himself to become the calves and boys, exactly as they were before.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.13
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tataḥthereafter
  2. vatsānthe calves
  3. adṛṣṭvānot seeing there within the forest
  4. etyaafter
  5. puline apito the bank of the Yamunā
  6. caalso
  7. vatsapāncould not see the cowherd boys
  8. ubhau apiboth of them (the calves and the cowherd boys)
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 10.13

    In this verse: “cowherd boys”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 10.13

    In this verse: “understand”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.13

    In this verse: “māyā”

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

How does the actor comparison help you understand Kṛṣṇa’s apparent uncertainty?

Practice

Reread the verse alongside the purport and note the difference between Kṛṣṇa’s appearance and His knowledge.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Search Was a Dramatic PerformanceThis 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 10.13.16? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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