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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

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

10.22.6 10.22.8

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.22.7

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.22.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

नद्या: कदाचिदागत्य तीरे निक्षिप्य पूर्ववत् ।

वासांसि कृष्णं गायन्त्यो विजह्रु: सलिले मुदा ॥ ७ ॥

nadyāḥ kadācid āgatya

tīre nikṣipya pūrva-vat

vāsāṁsi kṛṣṇaṁ gāyantyo

vijahruḥ salile mudā

Translation

One day they came to the riverbank and, putting aside their clothing as they had done before, happily played in the water while singing the glories of Kṛṣṇa.

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.

Kṛṣṇa Knows His Devotees’ Desires

1
The girls happily played in the river while singing Kṛṣṇa’s glories. The purport explains that this was the full-moon day on which they completed their vow.
2
They invited Rādhārāṇī and other important gopīs to celebrate with them. Their bathing served as the avabhṛtha-snāna, the ceremonial bath following a Vedic sacrifice.
3
Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, knew their minds. They had prayed for Him to become their husband, and He wanted to fulfill their desires.

Key points from the purport

According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, this incident occurred on the day the young gopīs completed their vow, which was a full-moon day.
To celebrate the successful completion of their vow, the girls invited young Rādhārāṇī — the daughter of Vṛṣabhānu and the special object of their affection — along with other important gopīs, and brought them all to the river to bathe.
Śrīla Prabhupāda comments as follows: “It is an old system among Indian girls and women that when they take a bath in the river they place their garments on the bank and dip into the water completely naked.

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:

During the month of Mārgaśīrṣa, every day early in the morning the young daughters of the cowherds would take one another’s hands and, singing of Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental qualities, go to the Yamunā to bathe. Desiring to obtain Kṛṣṇa as their husband, they would then worship the goddess Kātyāyanī with incense, flowers and other items.

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