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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 20: The Rainy Season and Autumn in Vṛndāvana
10.20.4510.20.47

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.20.46

Visarga· Brahmā's creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.20.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

गावो मृगा: खगा नार्य: पुष्पिण्य: शरदाभवन् ।

अन्वीयमाना: स्ववृषै: फलैरीशक्रिया इव ॥ ४६ ॥

gāvo mṛgāḥ khagā nāryaḥ

puṣpiṇyaḥ śaradābhavan

anvīyamānāḥ sva-vṛṣaiḥ

phalair īśa-kriyā iva

Translation

By the influence of the autumn season, all the cows, doe, women and female birds became fertile and were followed by their respective mates in search of sexual enjoyment, just as activities performed for the service of the Supreme Lord are automatically followed by all beneficial results.

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.

Patient Devotional Service Bears Fruit

  1. 1

    Autumn brought fertility, and the females were followed by their mates. Similarly, service to the Supreme Lord is automatically followed by beneficial results.

  2. 2

    Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī teaches that devotional service should be performed with enthusiasm, patience and conviction. One should follow the rules and regulations, remain free from material contamination and associate with devotees.

  3. 3

    One who patiently follows these principles is sure to achieve the desired result of devotional service. The result comes by the grace of the Supreme Lord.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Prabhupāda comments, “On the arrival of the autumn season, all the cows, deer, birds and females in general become pregnant, because in that season generally all the husbands become impelled by sex desire.
  • Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has instructed in his Upadeśāmṛta that one should perform devotional service with great enthusiasm, patience and conviction and should follow the rules and regulations, keep oneself clean from material contamination and stay in the association of devotees.
  • For he who patiently follows the regulative principles of devotional service, the time will come when he will achieve the result, as the wives who reap results by becoming pregnant.”

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

Attraction and threat → Joy and trust. The pastoral world becomes the setting for protection and love.

Chapters 20–28 of Canto 10: Forest seasons, flute and Govardhana. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 20: The Rainy Season and Autumn in Vṛndāvana

Summary of this chapter:

To enhance the description of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes in this chapter the beauty of Vṛndāvana during autumn and the rainy season. In the course of his presentation he gives various charming instructions in metaphorical terms.
Back to this verse in chapter 10.20
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. gāvaḥthe cows
  2. mṛgāḥthe female deer
  3. khagāḥthe female birds
  4. nāryaḥthe women
  5. puṣpiṇyaḥin their fertile periods
  6. śaradābecause of the autumn
  7. abhavanbecame
  8. anvīyamānāḥfollowed
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Visarga · Subcreation

    How do living beings and their worlds appear? · Subject 2 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 10.20

    In this verse: “devotional service”, “devotees”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.20

    In this verse: “material”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 10.20

    In this verse: “free from”

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 needs more attention in my devotional service: enthusiasm, patience or conviction?

Practice

Choose one small act of devotional service and carry it out patiently today, without demanding an immediate result.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayPatient Devotional Service Bears FruitThis 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.

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