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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

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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 22: Kṛṣṇa Steals the Garments of the Unmarried Gopīs

10.22.12 10.22.14

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.22.13

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Lord Kṛṣṇasince 10.22.10inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

एवं ब्रुवति गोविन्दे नर्मणाक्षिप्तचेतस: ।

आकण्ठमग्ना: शीतोदे वेपमानास्तमब्रुवन् ॥ १३ ॥

evaṁ bruvati govinde

narmaṇākṣipta-cetasaḥ

ā-kaṇṭha-magnāḥ śītode

vepamānās tam abruvan

Translation

As Śrī Govinda spoke to the gopīs in this way, His joking words completely captivated their minds. Submerged up to their necks in the cold water, they began to shiver. Thus they addressed Him as follows.

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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Captivated by Govinda’s Words

1
Śrī Govinda’s joking words completely captivated the gopīs’ minds. Their exchange was full of playful replies.
2
The gopīs explained that their parents and elders had authorized their month-long Kātyāyanī-vrata.
3
Out of shyness, they remained submerged up to their necks. Shivering in the cold water, they addressed Kṛṣṇa.

Key points from the purport

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura gives the following example of joking between Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs.
Gopīs: Our dear Kṛṣṇa, we will not go home for an entire month, for it is by the order of our parents and other elders that we are executing this vow of fasting, the Kātyāyanī-vrata.
The gopīs were completely captivated by Kṛṣṇa’s joking words, but out of shyness they submerged themselves in the water up to their necks.

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

Chapter 22: Kṛṣṇa Steals the Garments of the Unmarried Gopīs

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Kṛṣṇa, who felt great affection for them, again spoke: “Because while executing a vow you bathed in the water naked, you have committed an offense against the demigods, and to counteract it you should offer obeisances with joined palms. Then your vow of austerity will achieve its full result.”

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.22