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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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Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 19: Swallowing the Forest Fire
10.19.110.19.3

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.19.2

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.19.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

अजा गावो महिष्यश्च निर्विशन्त्यो वनाद् वनम् ।

ईषीकाटवीं निर्विविशु: क्रन्दन्त्यो दावतर्षिता: ॥ २ ॥

ajā gāvo mahiṣyaś ca

nirviśantyo vanād vanam

īṣīkāṭavīṁ nirviviśuḥ

krandantyo dāva-tarṣitāḥ

Translation

Passing from one part of the great forest to another, the goats, cows and buffalo eventually entered an area overgrown with sharp canes. The heat of a nearby forest fire made them thirsty, and they cried out in distress.

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.

The Wandering Animals Cry in Distress

  1. 1

    The goats, cows and buffalo passed from one part of the great forest to another.

  2. 2

    They eventually entered an area overgrown with sharp canes.

  3. 3

    The heat of a nearby forest fire made them thirsty, and they cried out in distress.

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:

Suddenly a forest fire blazed up, and to escape its flames the cows took refuge in a grove of sharp canes. When the cowherd boys missed their animals, they went searching for them, following their hoofprints and the trail of blades of grass and other plants they had trampled or had broken with their teeth.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.19
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. ajāḥthe goats
  2. gāvaḥthe cows
  3. mahiṣyaḥthe buffalo
  4. caand
  5. nirviśantyaḥentering
  6. vanātfrom one forest
  7. vanamto another forest
  8. īṣīkā-aṭavīma forest of canes
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

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 10.19

    In this verse: “distress”

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 10.19

    In this verse: “cried”

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 attentive am I to signs of distress in animals around me?

Practice

Check that an animal in your care has fresh drinking water, or ask its caretaker whether it needs any.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Wandering Animals Cry in DistressThis 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 10.19.2? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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