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
10.22.1910.22.21

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.22.20

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Kṛṣṇasince 10.22.19inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

इत्यच्युतेनाभिहितं व्रजाबला

मत्वा विवस्त्राप्लवनं व्रतच्युतिम् ।

तत्पूर्तिकामास्तदशेषकर्मणां

साक्षात्कृतं नेमुरवद्यमृग् यत: ॥ २० ॥

ity acyutenābhihitaṁ vrajābalā

matvā vivastrāplavanaṁ vrata-cyutim

tat-pūrti-kāmās tad-aśeṣa-karmaṇāṁ

sākṣāt-kṛtaṁ nemur avadya-mṛg yataḥ

Translation

Thus the young girls of Vṛndāvana, considering what Lord Acyuta had told them, accepted that they had suffered a falldown from their vow by bathing naked in the river. But they still desired to successfully complete their vow, and since Lord Kṛṣṇa is Himself the ultimate result of all pious activities, they offered their obeisances to Him to cleanse away all their sins.

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.

Pure Surrender, Never Material Imitation

  1. 1

    The gopīs accepted Kṛṣṇa’s words and offered obeisances to Him to cleanse away their sins. He is the ultimate result of all pious activities.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, free from material desire. He was attracted to the gopīs’ love and wanted to satisfy them, not enjoy a material sexual relationship.

  3. 3

    The purport firmly rejects imitating Kṛṣṇa’s activities and upholds restraint and morality. The gopīs’ surrender was the perfection of religion because their only desire was to satisfy Him.

Key points from the purport
  • Lord Kṛṣṇa is God and therefore has no material desire to enjoy young girls in sexual affairs.
  • The greatest offense is to imitate the activities of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
  • Lord Kṛṣṇa, however, is the Supreme Absolute Truth and is therefore never disturbed by any material desire whatsoever.

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. itiin these words
  2. acyutenaby the infallible Supreme Lord
  3. abhihitamindicated
  4. vraja-abalāḥthe girls of Vraja
  5. matvāconsidering
  6. vivastranaked
  7. āplavanamthe bathing
  8. vrata-cyutima falldown from their vow
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 10.22

    In this verse: “cleanse”, “sins”

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 10.22

    In this verse: “love”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

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 I cultivate the gopīs’ desire to please Kṛṣṇa without imitating His unique activities?

Practice

Perform one small act of devotional service today with the conscious intention of satisfying Kṛṣṇa.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayPure Surrender, Never Material ImitationThis 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 10.22.20? 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