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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 16: Kṛṣṇa Chastises the Serpent Kāliya
10.16.2110.16.23

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.16.22

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.16.4inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

कृष्णप्राणान्निर्विशतो नन्दादीन् वीक्ष्य तं ह्रदम् ।

प्रत्यषेधत् स भगवान् राम: कृष्णानुभाववित् ॥ २२ ॥

kṛṣṇa-prāṇān nirviśato

nandādīn vīkṣya taṁ hradam

pratyaṣedhat sa bhagavān

rāmaḥ kṛṣṇānubhāva-vit

Translation

Lord Balarāma then saw that Nanda Mahārāja and the other cowherd men, who had dedicated their very lives to Kṛṣṇa, were beginning to enter the serpent’s lake. As the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Balarāma fully knew Lord Kṛṣṇa’s actual power, and therefore He restrained them.

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.

Balarāma Restrains the Devoted Cowherd Men

  1. 1

    Nanda Mahārāja and the other cowherd men had dedicated their very lives to Kṛṣṇa. Distraught, they were prepared to give up their lives by entering the serpent’s lake.

  2. 2

    Lord Balarāma, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, fully knew Kṛṣṇa’s actual power. He therefore restrained the men from entering.

  3. 3

    Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī explains that Balarāma stopped some by speaking, others by physically holding them and still others with His potent smiling glance.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī explains that Lord Balarāma checked some of the cowherd men by speaking to them, others by physically holding them and still others by casting upon them His potent smiling glance.
  • Distraught over the situation, they were prepared to give up their lives for Lord Kṛṣṇa by entering the serpent’s lake.

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:

But Lord Balarāma checked them, knowing well the power of Kṛṣṇa. Then Lord Kṛṣṇa, seeing how disturbed His friends and relatives had become, expanded His body greatly and forced the serpent to loosen his grip and release Him.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.16
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kṛṣṇa-prāṇānthe men whose very life and soul was Kṛṣṇa
  2. nirviśataḥentering
  3. nanda-ādīnheaded by Nanda Mahārāja
  4. vīkṣyaseeing
  5. tamthat
  6. hradamlake
  7. pratyaṣedhatforbade
  8. saḥHe
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 10.16

    In this verse: “nanda”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 10.16

    In this verse: “give 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

How does Balarāma’s knowledge of Kṛṣṇa’s power shape His response to the cowherd men?

Practice

Pause for one minute today to remember Kṛṣṇa’s power and Balarāma’s restraint of the distressed cowherd men.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayBalarāma Restrains the Devoted Cowherd MenThis 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 10.16.22? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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