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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 18: Lord Balarāma Slays the Demon Pralamba
10.18.1310.18.15

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.18.14

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.18.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

क्‍वचिद्ब‍िल्वै: क्‍वचित्कुम्भै: क्‍वचामलकमुष्टिभि: ।

अस्पृश्यनेत्रबन्धाद्यै: क्‍वचिन्मृगखगेहया ॥ १४ ॥

kvacid bilvaiḥ kvacit kumbhaiḥ

kvacāmalaka-muṣṭibhiḥ

aspṛśya-netra-bandhādyaiḥ

kvacin mṛga-khagehayā

Translation

Sometimes the cowherd boys would play with bilva or kumbha fruits, and sometimes with handfuls of āmalaka fruits. At other times they would play the games of trying to touch one another or of trying to identify somebody while one is blindfolded, and sometimes they would imitate animals and birds.

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 Variety of Cowherd Games

  1. 1

    The boys played with bilva, kumbha and āmalaka fruits. They sometimes tossed fruits into the air and threw others to try to hit them.

  2. 2

    Their games included chasing, building bridges and identifying a friend while blindfolded by the feel of his palms. Flutes or walking sticks could serve as stakes for the winner.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma and Their friends also crossed the river in boats. The boys sometimes imitated the fighting of forest animals or chirped like birds.

Key points from the purport
  • Then the boys would steal yogurt and other items from them and run away.
  • Then, simply by the feel of his palms, the blindfolded boy would have to guess who the other boy was.
  • Sometimes the boys would imitate the various fighting methods of the forest animals, and at other times they would chirp like birds.

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 18: Lord Balarāma Slays the Demon Pralamba

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Kṛṣṇa then suggested to His young friends and Baladeva that they play a game involving contending parties. Taking the role of leaders, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma divided the boys into two groups and determined that the losers would have to carry the winners on their shoulders.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.18
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kvacitsometimes
  2. bilvaiḥwith bilva fruits
  3. kvacitsometimes
  4. kumbhaiḥwith kumbha fruits
  5. kvacaand sometimes
  6. āmalaka-muṣṭibhiḥwith palmfuls of āmalaka fruits
  7. aspṛśyawith games such as tṛying to touch one another
  8. netra-bandhatrying to identify another when one is blindfolded
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

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 10.18

    In this verse: “cowherd boys”, “friend”

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

Which detail helps you most clearly remember the variety of these pastimes?

Practice

Choose one game from this verse and reread its description as a small exercise in remembering Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Variety of Cowherd GamesThis 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 10.18.14? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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