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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 19: Swallowing the Forest Fire
10.19.1210.19.14

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.19.13

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.19.11inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

ततश्च तेऽक्षीण्युन्मील्य पुनर्भाण्डीरमापिता: ।

निशम्य विस्मिता आसन्नात्मानं गाश्च मोचिता: ॥ १३ ॥

tataś ca te ’kṣīṇy unmīlya

punar bhāṇḍīram āpitāḥ

niśamya vismitā āsann

ātmānaṁ gāś ca mocitāḥ

Translation

The cowherd boys opened their eyes and were amazed to find not only that they and the cows had been saved from the terrible fire but that they had all been brought back to the Bhāṇḍīra tree.

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.

Amazed by Kṛṣṇa’s Rescue

  1. 1

    When the cowherd boys opened their eyes, they saw that they had been saved from the terrible fire.

  2. 2

    The cows had also been saved, and all of them had been brought back to the Bhāṇḍīra tree.

  3. 3

    The boys were amazed to discover both their rescue and their return to the tree.

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 19: Swallowing the Forest Fire

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

They did so, and in a moment He had swallowed up the fierce forest fire and brought them all back to the Bhāṇḍīra tree mentioned in the last chapter. Seeing this wonderful display of mystic potency, the cowherd boys thought Kṛṣṇa must be a demigod, and they began to praise Him.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.19
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tataḥthen
  2. caand
  3. tethey
  4. akṣīṇitheir eyes
  5. unmīlyaopening
  6. punaḥagain
  7. bhāṇḍīramto Bhāṇḍīra
  8. āpitāḥbrought
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

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 10.19

    In this verse: “saved”, “rescue”

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 10.19

    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 amazes you most about what the boys discovered when they opened their eyes?

Practice

Reread the translation and pause to appreciate that both the boys and the cows were saved.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAmazed by Kṛṣṇa’s RescueThis 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 10.19.13? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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