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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.24.12

Who is speaking and story frame

श्रीशुक उवाच

वचो निशम्य नन्दस्य तथान्येषां व्रजौकसाम् । इन्द्राय मन्युं जनयन् पितरं प्राह केशव: ॥ १२ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca

vaco niśamya nandasya

tathānyeṣāṁ vrajaukasām

indrāya manyuṁ janayan

pitaraṁ prāha keśavaḥ

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: When Lord Keśava [Kṛṣṇa] heard the statements of His father, Nanda, and other senior residents of Vraja, He addressed His father as follows, to arouse anger in Lord Indra.

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.

Kṛṣṇa Removes His Servant’s False Pride

  1. 1

    After hearing Nanda and the other senior residents of Vraja, Lord Keśava spoke to arouse Indra’s anger.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa’s intention was not simply to insult a demigod. He wanted to remove the great false pride of Indra, His tiny servant and representative.

  3. 3

    By lifting Govardhana Hill, Kṛṣṇa would initiate the blissful festival of Govardhana-pūjā. He would also enjoy dwelling beneath the hill with His loving devotees.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī explains that Lord Kṛṣṇa’s intention was not simply to insult a demigod, but rather to knock down the great mountain of false pride that had arisen within the Lord’s tiny servant, who was supposed to represent the Lord as Indra.
  • By lifting Govardhana Hill Lord Kṛṣṇa would thus initiate a blissful annual festival called Govardhana-pūjā, and He would further enjoy the pleasant pastime of dwelling for several days beneath the hill with all His loving devotees.

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 24: Worshiping Govardhana Hill

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Thus it is karma alone that is our enemy, our friend, our guru and our lord, and Indra can do nothing to alter the happiness and distress of anyone, for everyone is tightly bound by his karmic reactions. The material modes of goodness, passion and ignorance bring about the creation, maintenance and destruction of this world.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.24
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī śukaḥ uvācaŚrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
  2. vacaḥthe words
  3. niśamyahearing
  4. nandasyaof Mahārāja Nanda
  5. tathāand also
  6. anyeṣāmof the others
  7. vraja-okasāmthe residents of Vraja
  8. indrāyain Lord Indra
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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 10.24

    In this verse: “nanda”, “father”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 10.24

    In this verse: “heard”, “hearing”

  • Dainya · Humility

    Ego yields to insight, service and surrender. · Theme in SB 10.24

    In this verse: “pride”

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

Do I see a position of responsibility as service or as a reason for pride?

Practice

Before carrying out one responsibility today, pause and remember that it is an opportunity to serve, not to feel superior.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Removes His Servant’s False PrideThis 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 10.24.12? Get an answer from the verses themselves.