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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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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
10.21.1910.22.1

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.21.20

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

एवंविधा भगवतो या वृन्दावनचारिण: ।

वर्णयन्त्यो मिथो गोप्य: क्रीडास्तन्मयतां ययु: ॥ २० ॥

evaṁ-vidhā bhagavato

yā vṛndāvana-cāriṇaḥ

varṇayantyo mitho gopyaḥ

krīḍās tan-mayatāṁ yayuḥ

Translation

Thus narrating to one another the playful pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as He wandered about in the Vṛndāvana forest, the gopīs became fully absorbed in thoughts of Him.

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.

Remember Kṛṣṇa by Speaking About His Pastimes

  1. 1

    By narrating Kṛṣṇa’s playful forest pastimes to one another, the gopīs became fully absorbed in Him, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

  2. 2

    Śrīla Prabhupāda calls this the perfect example of Kṛṣṇa consciousness: somehow or other to remain always engrossed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa. Lord Caitanya declared that no method of worship is better than that of the gopīs.

  3. 3

    The gopīs were born in cowherd families and were not highly educated, though they heard knowledge from the brāhmaṇas. Their only purpose was to remain absorbed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa.

Key points from the purport
  • In this regard Śrīla Prabhupāda comments, “This is the perfect example of Kṛṣṇa consciousness: to somehow or other remain always engrossed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa.
  • The vivid example is always present in the behavior of the gopīs; therefore Lord Caitanya declared that no one can worship the Supreme Lord by any method that is better than the method of the gopīs.
  • The gopīs’ only purpose was to remain always absorbed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa.”

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

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

All the nonmoving living beings take on the characteristics of moving creatures, and the moving living beings become stationary. These things are all very wonderful.”
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.21
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. evam-vidhāḥsuch
  2. bhagavataḥof the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  3. yāḥwhich
  4. vṛndāvana-cāriṇaḥwho was wandering in the Vṛndāvana forest
  5. varṇayantyaḥengaged in describing
  6. mithaḥamong one another
  7. gopyaḥthe gopīs
  8. krīḍaḥthe pastimes
  9. tat-mayatāmfullness in ecstatic meditation upon Him
  10. yayuḥthey attained
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”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 10.21

    In this verse: “heard”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 10.21

    In this verse: “knowledge”

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 could my conversations help me and others remember Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Share one detail of Kṛṣṇa’s forest pastimes from this chapter with someone today.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRemember Kṛṣṇa by Speaking About His PastimesThis 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 10.21.20? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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