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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 ›
Canto 10 · Chapter 13: The Stealing of the Boys and Calves by Brahmā
10.13.3010.13.32

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.13.31

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

समेत्य गावोऽधो वत्सान् वत्सवत्योऽप्यपाययन् ।

गिलन्त्य इव चाङ्गानि लिहन्त्य: स्वौधसं पय: ॥ ३१ ॥

sametya gāvo ’dho vatsān

vatsavatyo ’py apāyayan

gilantya iva cāṅgāni

lihantyaḥ svaudhasaṁ payaḥ

Translation

The cows had given birth to new calves, but while coming down from Govardhana Hill, the cows, because of increased affection for the older calves, allowed the older calves to drink milk from their milk bags and then began licking the calves’ bodies in anxiety, as if wanting to swallow them.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

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

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Cows’ Overflowing Affection

  1. 1

    Although the cows had given birth to new calves, their affection for the older calves had increased.

  2. 2

    Coming down from Govardhana Hill, they allowed the older calves to drink their milk.

  3. 3

    They eagerly licked the calves’ bodies, as if wanting to swallow them. Their affection was expressed through feeding and tender care.

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:

A special feature of this pastime was that the mothers of the cowherd boys thus became more attached to their respective sons, and the cows became more attached to their calves. After nearly a year, Baladeva observed that all the cowherd boys and calves were expansions of Kṛṣṇa.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.13
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. sametyaassembling
  2. gāvaḥall the cows
  3. adhaḥdown at the foot of Govardhana Hill
  4. vatsānall their calves
  5. vatsa-vatyaḥas if new calves had been born from them
  6. apieven though new calves were present
  7. apāyayanfed them
  8. gilantyaḥswallowing them
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

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 me about the cows’ eagerness to care for their older calves?

Practice

Read the translation slowly once, noticing the cows’ acts of feeding and licking their calves.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 10.13's connections

Live this todayThe Cows’ Overflowing AffectionThis 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 10.13.31? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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