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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 ›
Canto 10 · Chapter 14: Brahmā’s Prayers to Lord Kṛṣṇa
10.14.4710.14.49

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.14.48

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The cowherd boyfriendssince 10.14.45inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

अद्यानेन महाव्यालो यशोदानन्दसूनुना ।

हतोऽविता वयं चास्मादिति बाला व्रजे जगु: ॥ ४८ ॥

adyānena mahā-vyālo

yaśodā-nanda-sūnunā

hato ’vitā vayaṁ cāsmād

iti bālā vraje jaguḥ

Translation

As the cowherd boys reached the village of Vraja, they sang, “Today Kṛṣṇa saved us by killing a great serpent!” Some of the boys described Kṛṣṇa as the son of Yaśodā, and others as the son of Nanda Mahārāja.

Read the purport on Vedabase.io

From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Boys Sing of Kṛṣṇa’s Protection

  1. 1

    Returning to Vraja, the cowherd boys sang that Kṛṣṇa had saved them by killing a great serpent.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa had actually killed Aghāsura one year earlier. Bewildered by Brahmā’s mystic potency, the boys had not noticed the passing year.

  3. 3

    The boys thought Kṛṣṇa had rescued them that very day. Some sang of Him as Yaśodā’s son, and others as Nanda Mahārāja’s son.

Key points from the purport
  • Actually, Lord Kṛṣṇa had killed the demon Aghāsura one year earlier, but the boys, bewildered by the mystic potency of Brahmā for one year, did not notice the time passing and thus thought that on that very day Lord Kṛṣṇa had killed the demon Aghāsura and was now returning home with them.

The purport'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 14: Brahmā’s Prayers to Lord Kṛṣṇa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Having established this conclusion, Lord Brahmā analyzed the great good fortune of the residents of Vraja and then personally prayed to be born there even as a blade of grass, a bush or a creeper. Indeed, the homes of the residents of Vṛndāvana are not prisons of material existence but rather abodes envied even by the jñānīs and yogīs.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.14
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. adyatoday
  2. anenaby Him
  3. mahā-vyālaḥa great serpent
  4. yaśodāof Yaśodā
  5. nandaand Mahārāja Nanda
  6. sūnunāby the son
  7. hataḥhas been killed
  8. avitāḥhave been saved
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.14

    In this verse: “yaśodā”, “nanda”, “yaśodā’s”

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 10.14

    In this verse: “saved”, “rescued”

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 10.14

    In this verse: “cowherd boys”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What stands out to you about the boys’ joyful remembrance of Kṛṣṇa’s protection?

Practice

Read the boys’ song aloud once, remembering Kṛṣṇa as their protector.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Boys Sing of Kṛṣṇa’s ProtectionThis 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.

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