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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.
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Canto 10 · Chapter 18: Lord Balarāma Slays the Demon Pralamba
10.18.1510.18.17

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.18.16

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

एवं तौ लोकसिद्धाभि: क्रीडाभिश्चेरतुर्वने ।

नद्यद्रिद्रोणिकुञ्जेषु काननेषु सर:सु च ॥ १६ ॥

evaṁ tau loka-siddhābhiḥ

krīḍābhiś ceratur vane

nady-adri-droṇi-kuñjeṣu

kānaneṣu saraḥsu ca

Translation

In this way Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma played all sorts of well-known games as They wandered among the rivers, hills, valleys, bushes, trees and lakes of Vṛndāvana.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

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.

Playing Throughout Vṛndāvana

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma played many well-known games.

  2. 2

    They wandered among the rivers, hills and valleys of Vṛndāvana.

  3. 3

    Bushes, trees and lakes were also settings for Their play.

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:

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. Thus when Śrīdāmā and Vṛṣabha, members of Balarāma’s party, were victorious, Kṛṣṇa and another boy in His party carried them 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. evamin this way
  2. tauthe two of Them, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma
  3. loka-siddhābhiḥwhich are well known in human society
  4. krīḍābhiḥwith games
  5. ceratuḥThey wandered
  6. vanein the forest
  7. nadīamong the rivers
  8. adrimountains
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

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 feature of Vṛndāvana’s landscape helps you picture Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma’s play?

Practice

Pause for one minute to remember Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma playing beside one of the natural features named here.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayPlaying Throughout VṛndāvanaThis 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 10.18.16? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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