1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 22: Kṛṣṇa Steals the Garments of the Unmarried Gopīs
10.22.1510.22.17

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.22.16

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Supreme Personality of Godheadsince 10.22.16inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीभगवानुवाच

भवत्यो यदि मे दास्यो मयोक्तं वा करिष्यथ ।

अत्रागत्य स्ववासांसि प्रतीच्छत शुचिस्मिता: ।

नो चेन्नाहं प्रदास्ये किं क्रुद्धो राजा करिष्यति ॥ १६ ॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

bhavatyo yadi me dāsyo

mayoktaṁ vā kariṣyatha

atrāgatya sva-vāsāṁsi

pratīcchata śuci-smitāḥ

no cen nāhaṁ pradāsye kiṁ

kruddho rājā kariṣyati

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: If you girls are actually My maidservants, and if you will really do what I say, then come here with your innocent smiles and let each girl pick out her clothes. If you don’t do what I say, I won’t give them back to you. And even if the king becomes angry, what can he do?

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.

Service Means Following Kṛṣṇa’s Words

  1. 1

    The Supreme Personality of Godhead asked the gopīs to act on their declaration that they were His maidservants.

  2. 2

    He told them to come with their innocent smiles and each collect her own clothes. He would not return the garments if they refused.

  3. 3

    Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that, seeing Kṛṣṇa’s strength and determination, the gopīs had no alternative but to abide by His order.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Prabhupāda comments, “When the gopīs saw that Kṛṣṇa was strong and determined, they had no alternative but to abide by His order.”

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 22: Kṛṣṇa Steals the Garments of the Unmarried Gopīs

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Śrī Kṛṣṇa replied that He had no fear of King Kaṁsa, and that if the girls really intended to follow His command and be His maidservants they should each immediately come onto the shore and take their respective garments. The girls, trembling from the cold, climbed out of the water with their two hands covering their private parts.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.22
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-bhagavān uvācathe Supreme Personality of Godhead said
  2. bhavatyaḥyou
  3. yadiif
  4. meMy
  5. dāsyaḥservants
  6. mayāby Me
  7. uktamwhat has been spoken
  8. vāor
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.22

    In this verse: “king”

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 can my actions better reflect my stated desire to serve Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Take one small intention to serve Kṛṣṇa and carry it out today.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayService Means Following Kṛṣṇa’s WordsThis 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 10.22.16? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories