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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 15: The Killing of Dhenuka, the Ass Demon
10.15.4210.15.44

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.15.43

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The cowherd boyssince 10.15.21inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

पीत्वा मुकुन्दमुखसारघमक्षिभृङ्गै-

स्तापं जहुर्विरहजं व्रजयोषितोऽह्नि ।

तत्सत्कृतिं समधिगम्य विवेश गोष्ठं

सव्रीडहासविनयं यदपाङ्गमोक्षम् ॥ ४३ ॥

pītvā mukunda-mukha-sāragham akṣi-bhṛṅgais

tāpaṁ jahur viraha-jaṁ vraja-yoṣito ’hni

tat sat-kṛtiṁ samadhigamya viveśa goṣṭhaṁ

savrīḍa-hāsa-vinayaṁ yad apāṅga-mokṣam

Translation

With their beelike eyes, the women of Vṛndāvana drank the honey of the beautiful face of Lord Mukunda, and thus they gave up the distress they had felt during the day because of separation from Him. The young Vṛndāvana ladies cast sidelong glances at the Lord — glances filled with bashfulness, laughter and submission — and Śrī Kṛṣṇa, completely accepting these glances as a proper offering of respect, entered the cowherd village.

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.

Kṛṣṇa Accepts Loving Glances

  1. 1

    The gopīs thought of Kṛṣṇa throughout the day and felt distressed by His absence. Seeing His beautiful face on His return immediately relieved their anxieties.

  2. 2

    Their sidelong glances were filled with bashfulness, laughter and submission. Kṛṣṇa fully accepted these glances as an offering of respect.

  3. 3

    Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, expertly exchanged loving feelings with the cowherd girls. His acceptance of their love filled their hearts with happiness.

Key points from the purport
  • When Kṛṣṇa entered the village, the young gopīs smiled and laughed.
  • The Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is the supreme master of romantic skills, and thus He expertly exchanged loving feelings with the young cowherd girls of Vṛndāvana.
  • These were exactly the romantic exchanges taking place between beautiful young Kṛṣṇa and the loving cowherd girls of Vṛndāvana.

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 15: The Killing of Dhenuka, the Ass Demon

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The cows and cowherd boys became very thirsty and drank some water from the Kālindī. But it had been contaminated with poison, and they all fell unconscious on the riverbank.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.15
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. pītvādrinking
  2. mukunda-mukhaof the face of Lord Mukunda
  3. sāraghamthe honey
  4. akṣi-bhṛṅgaiḥwith their beelike eyes
  5. tāpamdistress
  6. jahuḥgave up
  7. viraha-jambased on separation
  8. vraja-yoṣitaḥthe ladies of Vṛndāvana
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

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 10.15

    In this verse: “distress”, “distressed”

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 10.15

    In this verse: “separation”, “absence”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 10.15

    In this verse: “gave up”

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 draws your heart toward remembering Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Spend one quiet minute remembering Kṛṣṇa’s beautiful face and His acceptance of the gopīs’ loving glances.

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 10.15's connections

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Accepts Loving GlancesThis 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 10.15.43? Get an answer from the verses themselves.