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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.21.9

Who is speaking and story frame

गोप्य: किमाचरदयं कुशलं स्म वेणु-

र्दामोदराधरसुधामपि गोपिकानाम् ।

भुङ्क्ते स्वयं यदवशिष्टरसं ह्रदिन्यो

हृष्यत्त्वचोऽश्रु मुमुचुस्तरवो यथार्या: ॥ ९ ॥

gopyaḥ kim ācarad ayaṁ kuśalaṁ sma veṇur

dāmodarādhara-sudhām api gopikānām

bhuṅkte svayaṁ yad avaśiṣṭa-rasaṁ hradinyo

hṛṣyat-tvaco ’śru mumucus taravo yathāryaḥ

Translation

My dear gopīs, what auspicious activities must the flute have performed to enjoy the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s lips independently and leave only a taste for us gopīs, for whom that nectar is actually meant! The forefathers of the flute, the bamboo trees, shed tears of pleasure. His mother, the river on whose bank the bamboo was born, feels jubilation, and therefore her blooming lotus flowers are standing like hair on her body.

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.

The Flute’s Fortune Inspires Longing

  1. 1

    The gopīs wondered what auspicious activities the flute had performed to enjoy the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s lips. They felt it left only a taste for them.

  2. 2

    The bamboo trees shed flowing sap like tears of ecstasy because their child had become an exalted devotee-flute of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The river, described as its mother, also rejoiced.

  3. 3

    Sanātana Gosvāmī offers another explanation: the trees cry because they cannot play with Kṛṣṇa or taste the nectar of His lips. Their longing resembles that of intelligent persons unable to obtain the goal of life.

Key points from the purport
  • In the guise of releasing flowing sap, the bamboo trees are actually crying tears of ecstasy upon seeing their child become an exalted devotee-flute of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
  • But the trees are actually just like intelligent persons who suffer when they cannot obtain the goal of life.
  • Thus the trees are crying because they cannot get the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s lips.

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 10.21.9 quotesCC Antya 16.140

This translation is quoted from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Antya-līlā 16.140).

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:

What pious activities has this flute performed that enable him to freely drink the nectar of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lips — a blessing we cowherd girls find difficult to achieve? Hearing the song of Kṛṣṇa’s flute, the peacocks dance, and all the other creatures become stunned when they see them.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.21
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. gopyaḥO gopīs
  2. kimwhat
  3. ācaratperformed
  4. ayamthis
  5. kuśalamauspicious activities
  6. smacertainly
  7. veṇuḥthe flute
  8. dāmodaraof Kṛṣṇa
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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

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

    In this verse: “mother”, “child”

  • Prema · Transcendental love

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

    In this verse: “ecstasy”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotee-flute”

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

What does the flute’s honored position suggest about the value of serving Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Write one sentence expressing your wish to serve Kṛṣṇa, remembering the flute’s fortune.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Flute’s Fortune Inspires LongingThis 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 10.21.9? Get an answer from the verses themselves.