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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 21: The Gopīs Glorify the Song of Kṛṣṇa’s Flute
10.21.1010.21.12

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.21.11

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The cowherd girlssince 10.21.7inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

धन्या: स्म मूढगतयोऽपि हरिण्य एता

या नन्दनन्दनमुपात्तविचित्रवेशम् ।

आकर्ण्य वेणुरणितं सहकृष्णसारा:

पूजां दधुर्विरचितां प्रणयावलोकै: ॥ ११ ॥

dhanyāḥ sma mūḍha-gatayo ’pi hariṇya etā

yā nanda-nandanam upātta-vicitra-veśam

ākarṇya veṇu-raṇitaṁ saha-kṛṣṇa-sārāḥ

pūjāṁ dadhur viracitāṁ praṇayāvalokaiḥ

Translation

Blessed are all these foolish deer because they have approached Mahārāja Nanda’s son, who is gorgeously dressed and is playing on His flute. Indeed, both the doe and the bucks worship the Lord with looks of love and affection.

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.

Encourage One Another’s Love for Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    The deer are blessed because they approach gorgeously dressed Kṛṣṇa and worship Him with affectionate glances.

  2. 2

    The male deer regard Kṛṣṇa as the ultimate object of affection. They joyfully encourage their wives to approach Him and consider their household lives fortunate.

  3. 3

    The gopīs contrast this support with their own husbands’ jealousy and lack of devotion. They feel unfortunate because their husbands oppose their attraction to Kṛṣṇa.

Key points from the purport
  • According to the ācāryas, the gopīs were thinking as follows: “The female deer can approach Kṛṣṇa along with their husbands because Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate object of affection for the male deer.
  • Because of their affection for Kṛṣṇa, they are encouraged by seeing their wives attracted to Him and thus consider their household lives fortunate.
  • Indeed, they become joyful upon seeing how their wives are searching after Kṛṣṇa, and, following along, they urge their wives to go to the Lord.

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of SB 10.21.11 quotesCC Madhya 17.36

This translation is quoted from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 17.36).

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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 21: The Gopīs Glorify the Song of Kṛṣṇa’s Flute

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Govardhana Hill offers grass and various kinds of fruits and bulbous roots in worship of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. All the nonmoving living beings take on the characteristics of moving creatures, and the moving living beings become stationary.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.21
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. dhanyāḥfortunate, blessed
  2. smacertainly
  3. mūḍha-gatayaḥhaving taken birth in an ignorant animal species
  4. apialthough
  5. hariṇyaḥshe-deer
  6. etāḥthese
  7. yāḥwho
  8. nanda-nandanamthe son of Mahārāja Nanda
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 10.21

    In this verse: “worship”, “devotion”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.21

    In this verse: “nanda’s”

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 10.21

    In this verse: “love”

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

Am I joyful when someone else shows affection for Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Offer one encouraging word to someone who is trying to serve Kṛṣṇa.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayEncourage One Another’s Love for KṛṣṇaThis 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 10.21.11? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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