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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
10.13.4010.13.42

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.13.41

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

यावन्तो गोकुले बाला: सवत्सा: सर्व एव हि ।

मायाशये शयाना मे नाद्यापि पुनरुत्थिता: ॥ ४१ ॥

yāvanto gokule bālāḥ

sa-vatsāḥ sarva eva hi

māyāśaye śayānā me

nādyāpi punar utthitāḥ

Translation

Lord Brahmā thought: Whatever boys and calves there were in Gokula, I have kept them sleeping on the bed of my mystic potency, and to this very day they have not yet risen again.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Boys and Calves Were All Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    For one year, Brahmā kept the original calves and cowherd boys sleeping in a cave by his mystic power.

  2. 2

    Seeing Kṛṣṇa still playing with calves and boys, Brahmā wondered whether He had brought them back. Yet the originals remained where Brahmā had put them.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa had expanded Himself as the calves and boys. They had the same features, mentality and intentions as the originals, but they were all Kṛṣṇa.

Key points from the purport
  • For one year Lord Brahmā kept the calves and boys lying down in a cave by his mystic power.
  • Therefore when Brahmā saw Lord Kṛṣṇa still playing with all the cows and calves, he began trying to reason about what was happening.
  • Then, however, Lord Brahmā saw that the calves and boys he had taken were still in the same mystic māyā into which he had put them.

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:

Then, just to examine the potency of Kṛṣṇa, Lord Brahmā took away all the calves and cowherd boys and kept them in a secluded place. When Kṛṣṇa was unable to find the calves and boys, He could understand that this was a trick performed by Brahmā.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.13
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yāvantaḥwhatsoever, as many as
  2. gokulein Gokula
  3. bālāḥboys
  4. sa-vatsāḥalong with their calves
  5. sarveall
  6. evaindeed
  7. hibecause
  8. māyā-āśayeon the bed of māyā
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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 10.13

    In this verse: “cowherd boys”

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 Kṛṣṇa’s ability to expand Himself deepen your appreciation of His power?

Practice

Reread the final sentences of the purport and pause to reflect that these calves and boys were all Kṛṣṇa.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Boys and Calves Were All KṛṣṇaThis 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 10.13.41? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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