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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 22: Kṛṣṇa Steals the Garments of the Unmarried Gopīs
10.22.1810.22.20

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.22.19

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Kṛṣṇasince 10.22.19inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

यूयं विवस्त्रा यदपो धृतव्रता

व्यगाहतैतत्तदु देवहेलनम् ।

बद्ध्वाञ्जलिं मूध्‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‌‌र्न्यपनुत्तयेऽहस:

कृत्वा नमोऽधोवसनं प्रगृह्यताम् ॥ १९ ॥

yūyaṁ vivastrā yad apo dhṛta-vratā

vyagāhataitat tad u deva-helanam

baddhvāñjaliṁ mūrdhny apanuttaye ’ṁhasaḥ

kṛtvā namo ’dho-vasanaṁ pragṛhyatām

Translation

[Lord Kṛṣṇa said:] You girls bathed naked while executing your vow, and that is certainly an offense against the demigods. To counteract your sin you should offer obeisances while placing your joined palms above your heads. Then you should take back your lower garments.

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.

Recognize Kṛṣṇa’s Transcendental Position

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa told the gopīs that bathing naked during their vow was an offense against the demigods. He instructed them to offer obeisances with joined palms above their heads.

  2. 2

    He wanted to see their full surrender. As the Supreme Absolute Truth, He was acting to fulfill their loving desire.

  3. 3

    The purport warns against viewing Kṛṣṇa as an ordinary lusty boy. To regard Him as materially conditioned like ourselves prevents us from understanding His transcendental position.

Key points from the purport
  • Kṛṣṇa wanted to see the full surrender of the gopīs, and thus He ordered them to offer obeisances with their palms joined above their heads.
  • We should not foolishly think that Lord Kṛṣṇa is an ordinary lusty boy enjoying the naked beauty of the gopīs.
  • To lose transcendental sight of Kṛṣṇa is certainly a great disaster for one trying to relish the bliss of the Absolute Truth.

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:

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 summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.22
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yūyamyou
  2. vivastrāḥnaked
  3. yatbecause
  4. apaḥin the water
  5. dhṛta-vratāḥwhile executing a Vedic ritualistic vow
  6. vyagāhatabathed
  7. etat tatthis
  8. uindeed
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Manvantara · The change of Manus

    What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10

  • Dainya · Humility

    Ego yields to insight, service and surrender. · Theme in SB 10.22

    In this verse: “offense”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 10.22

    In this verse: “lusty”, “materially”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 10.22

    In this verse: “absolute truth”, “understanding”

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 does remembering that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Absolute Truth change my reading of this passage?

Practice

Before rereading this verse, recall the purport’s distinction between Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental actions and ordinary material desire.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRecognize Kṛṣṇa’s Transcendental PositionThis 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 10.22.19? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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