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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
10.18.110.18.3

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.18.2

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

व्रजे विक्रीडतोरेवं गोपालच्छद्ममायया ।

ग्रीष्मो नामर्तुरभवन्नातिप्रेयाञ्छरीरिणाम् ॥ २ ॥

vraje vikrīḍator evaṁ

gopāla-cchadma-māyayā

grīṣmo nāmartur abhavan

nāti-preyāñ charīriṇām

Translation

While Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were thus enjoying life in Vṛndāvana in the guise of ordinary cowherd boys, the summer season gradually appeared. This season is not very pleasing to embodied souls.

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.

Summer Appears Like Spring in Vṛndāvana

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma enjoyed life in Vṛndāvana in the guise of ordinary cowherd boys.

  2. 2

    Summer gradually arrived, a season not very pleasing to embodied souls because of its excessive heat.

  3. 3

    Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that everyone in Vṛndāvana was pleased because summer there appeared just like spring.

Key points from the purport
  • In Chapter Eighteen, of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrīla Prabhupāda comments as follows: “The summer season in India is not very much welcomed because of the excessive heat, but in Vṛndāvana everyone was pleased because summer there appeared just like spring.”

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:

Śrī Vṛndāvana, where Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma enacted Their pastimes, was even during the summer decorated with all the qualities of spring. At that time Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa would become absorbed in various sports, surrounded by Balarāma and all the cowherd boys.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.18
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. vrajein Vṛndāvana
  2. vikrīḍatoḥwhile the two of Them were sporting
  3. evamin this way
  4. gopālaas cowherd boys
  5. chadmaof the disguise
  6. māyayāby the illusion
  7. grīṣmaḥsummer
  8. nāmathus designated
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”

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 stands out to you about the contrast between ordinary summer and summer in Vṛndāvana?

Practice

Reread the purport once, reflecting on Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma enjoying life in Vṛndāvana.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySummer Appears Like Spring in 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 10.18.2? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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