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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 16: Kṛṣṇa Chastises the Serpent Kāliya
10.16.1710.16.19

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.16.18

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.16.4inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

ते तत्र तत्राब्जयवाङ्कुशाशनि-

ध्वजोपपन्नानि पदानि विश्पते: ।

मार्गे गवामन्यपदान्तरान्तरे

निरीक्षमाणा ययुरङ्ग सत्वरा: ॥ १८ ॥

te tatra tatrābja-yavāṅkuśāśani-

dhvajopapannāni padāni viś-pateḥ

mārge gavām anya-padāntarāntare

nirīkṣamāṇā yayur aṅga satvarāḥ

Translation

The footprints of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the master of the entire cowherd community, were marked with the lotus flower, barleycorn, elephant goad, thunderbolt and flag. My dear King Parīkṣit, seeing His footprints on the path among the cows’ hoofprints, the residents of Vṛndāvana rushed along in great haste.

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’s Footprints Are Great Treasures

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa’s footprints bore the lotus flower, barleycorn, elephant goad, thunderbolt and flag. Seeing them among the cows’ hoofprints, the residents hurried onward.

  2. 2

    Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī explains that these footprints had not been brushed away because the inhabitants of the forest carefully preserved them.

  3. 3

    Lord Kṛṣṇa is the wealth of all living beings. The creatures of Vṛndāvana treasured His footprints as ornaments of the earth and would not walk upon them.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī comments as follows: “Since Lord Kṛṣṇa had passed along the path some time previously, why weren’t His footprints, which were surrounded by those of cows, cowherd boys and so on, smudged over and brushed away?
  • Since Lord Kṛṣṇa is actually the wealth of all living beings, all the inhabitants of the forest of Vraja would carefully preserve His footprints as great treasures, the very ornaments of the earth.
  • Thus no creature within Vṛndāvana would ever walk upon Lord Kṛṣṇa’s footprints.”

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 16: Kṛṣṇa Chastises the Serpent Kāliya

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The residents of Vṛndāvana thought, “Today Kṛṣṇa went to the forest without Balarāma, so we do not know what great misfortune may have befallen Him.” Thinking in this way, they traced the path of Kṛṣṇa’s footprints to the bank of the Yamunā.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.16
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tethey
  2. tatra tatrahere and there
  3. abjawith the lotus flower
  4. yavabarleycorn
  5. aṅkuśaelephant goad
  6. aśanithunderbolt
  7. dhvajaand flag
  8. upapannāniadorned
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.16

    In this verse: “king”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.16

    In this verse: “wealth”

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 does it mean to treasure Kṛṣṇa as the wealth of all living beings?

Practice

Spend a minute remembering the five markings on Kṛṣṇa’s footprints.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Footprints Are Great TreasuresThis 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 10.16.18? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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