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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
10.19.310.19.5

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.19.4

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

तृणैस्तत्खुरदच्छिन्नैर्गोष्पदैरङ्कितैर्गवाम् ।

मार्गमन्वगमन् सर्वे नष्टाजीव्या विचेतस: ॥ ४ ॥

tṛṇais tat-khura-dac-chinnair

goṣ-padair aṅkitair gavām

mārgam anvagaman sarve

naṣṭājīvyā vicetasaḥ

Translation

Then the boys began tracing out the cows’ path by noting their hoofprints and the blades of grass the cows had broken with their hooves and teeth. All the cowherd boys were in great anxiety because they had lost their source of livelihood.

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.

Careful Searching Amid Anxiety

  1. 1

    The boys traced the cows’ path by looking for their hoofprints.

  2. 2

    They also noticed blades of grass broken by the cows’ hooves and teeth.

  3. 3

    All the boys were greatly anxious because the missing cows were their source of livelihood.

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:

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. Finally the boys found the cows and removed them from the cane forest, but by that time the forest fire had grown strong and was threatening both the boys and the cows.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.19
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tṛṇaiḥby the blades of grass
  2. tatof those cows
  3. khuraby the hooves
  4. datand the teeth
  5. chinnaiḥwhich were broken
  6. goḥ-padaiḥwith the hoofprints
  7. aṅkitaiḥ(by places in the ground) which were marked
  8. gavāmof the cows
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 10.19

    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

When I am anxious, can I slow down enough to notice what may help?

Practice

For one concern today, identify a concrete clue or fact before choosing your next step.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayCareful Searching Amid AnxietyThis 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 10.19.4? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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